Comprehension: Rock Cravings for Pregnant Women in Kenya

Pregnant women often have unusual cravings and in Kenya it's not unusual to crave, and eat, soft stones known as "odowa". 

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Ann Njeri, the first woman interviewed, still craves ‘odawa’ even though she is no longer pregnant.

a. True

b. False

2. A study by Britain’s Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, along Kenya’s coast in 1998, found that 50% of women ate rocks or dirt during pregnancy.

a. True

b. False

3. Doctor Odawa, the obstetrician, doesn’t think the rocks will hurt the women.

a. True

b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Pregnant women are known for their unusual cravings from midnight demands for pickles to new found adoration for Tabasco sauce and here in Kenya it’s not unusual to crave and eat soft stones known as "odowa".

“I started eating these stones when I was one month pregnant up until I delivered. Then I stopped eating them, but when I see them I still get the cravings.”

And there’s nowhere better to satisfy this craving than Nairobi’s Githurai market where traders who specialize in odawa can be found among the fruit sellers and fishmongers.

Joseph Kaara has been selling the stones for ten years charging just over 10$ for 100kg sack.

“I sell them mostly to the pregnant women.  When I ask them why they eat them, they tell me it’s because they lack calcium.”

Doctors say that craving stones, or soil known as pica, may be an indication of a deficiency of vital minerals like iron or calcium.  While others blame a cultural trend passed down through friends and relatives.  Figures on how many women are affected are hard to come by but a study by Britain’s Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, along Kenya’s coast in 1998, found that one in two women ate rocks or dirt during pregnancy.

But Doctor Odawa an obstetrician at International Medical Consultants says the habit can be dangerous for women causing parasitic infestations, anemia, intestinal complications and malnourishment.

“It may not be very healthy because what we think is that these people eat these substances sometimes to fill their tummies, and it does fill them, in place of what should be of nutritional value. So at the end of the day they may actually end up being malnourished.”

It seems that the next time the craving hits, women would be better off giving up the rocks and choosing carrots or fruit to crunch on.

Answers:
1. a
2. a
3. b

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