Nutritional status of under-five children born to teenage mothers in an urban setting, south-western Nigeria

Abstract

Objective There have been many studies on the nutritional status of under-fives and factors responsible but very few looks at this special group of women. This study assessed the breastfeeding practices of teenage mothers and determined its association with the nutritional indices of their under-five children. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. A total of 300 mother–child pair was selected using a multi-stage sampling technique from Primary Health Care centres in Ondo West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were done to identify predictors’ of poor nutritional status at p < 0.05. Results About 87% initiated breastfeeding less than 1 h after birth while 31.9% breastfed their children exclusively for 6 months. Prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among the under-fives were 18.6%, 25.3%, and 29.5% respectively. Initiation of breastfeeding more than 1 h after birth increased the odds of stunting (OR = 9.551, CI = 1.279–16.310) and underweight (OR = 6.674, CI = 3.159–14.097) by about 10 and 7 times respectively. Whereas odds of wasting (OR = 2.346, CI = 1.228–4.480) was 2 times higher with breastfeeding duration less than 6 months. Therefore, education of teenage mothers on breastfeeding initiation and duration is vital in reducing malnutrition among under-fives.

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Stunting in Under Five Creche of a Rural Private School in Owerri North, Imo State

“…If maternal education is to play a significant role in reducing child malnutrition, women need to be educated beyond the primary school level. Monthly income distribution of the respondents' parents showed that a greater percentage earned between ₦50,000-100,000 which corresponds with recent study by Olodu et al (2019) [5] on a higher monthly income more than ₦20,000, while 38.4% earned above ₦100,000. This is in accordance with reports by Mathieson and Koller, (2016) [6] who stated that healthy eating habits are largely determined by social, economic and cultural factors (such as place of residents) that influence access, availability and uptake.…”

Nutritional status of under five children attending Anganwadi in rural area of central India

“…Olodu et al conducted study in Nigeria found that prevalence of stunting; wasting and underweight is 18.6%, 25.3, and 29.5%. 5 In a study conducted by Chataut et al in rural Nepal, 7% wasted, 39.9% stunted and 18.9% underweight. 6 In a study conducted by the Alom et al in Bangladesh, 16% severely stunted, 25% moderately stunted, 3% severely wasted, 14% moderately wasted, 11% severely underweight and 28% moderately underweight.…”

A comparative analysis of determinants of low birth weight and stunting among under five children of adolescent and non-adolescent mothers using 2015/16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS)

“…This explains why adolescent mothers are likely to give birth to preterm, low-birthweight babies and with an increased likelihood of infant deaths compared to those born with mothers aged 20 years and above [14]. Furthermore, the high rates of teenage pregnancy contribute significantly to the high prevalence of malnutrition among adolescents themselves and their under-five children [15]. Adolescent mothers are not only challenged by the physical threats to their health, but also socially [16].…”