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Journal of Nutrition Research
An official journal of IAPEN India association

Article

Factors Influencing Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status among Adolescent Pregnant Women in South-Eastern Tanzania: a Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study
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Journal of Nutrition Research

DOI: 10.55289/jnutres/v13i1.25.56

Year: 2025, Volume: 13, Issue: 1, Pages: 16-25

Original Article

Factors Influencing Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status among Adolescent Pregnant Women in South-Eastern Tanzania: a Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Miriam P Muga1,2, Godfrey C Katusi3∗

1Department of Human Nutrition and Family Consumer Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. BOX 3000, Morogoro, Tanzania
2Department of Nutrition, Good Samaritan Cancer Hospital, P.O. BOX 177, Ifakara, Tanzania
3Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Saint Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O. BOX 175, Ifakara, Tanzania

*Corresponding Author
email: [email protected]

Received Date:08 July 2025, Accepted Date:02 August 2025, Published Date:23 August 2025

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Adolescent pregnancy has become a global health concern in recent years, with maintaining dietary diversity being essential to ensure the health of both the mother and fetus. This study aimed to understand the dietary diversity and nutritional status among pregnant adolescents attending antenatal clinic and identify the factors influencing these outcomes. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done at St Francis Regional Referral Hospital in Ifakara, Tanzania. A total of 131 adolescent pregnant women consented to participate. Data was obtained using a questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. The study revealed that 93.1% (n=122) of adolescent pregnant women met the minimum dietary diversity score based on a 24-hour recall period. Similar proportions were observed for the age group but vary significantly with the number of children born (p< 0.001), marital status (p = 0.032) and education level (p< 0.001). Additionally, 93.9% (n=123) of adolescent pregnant women had a normal Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and 6.1% (n=8) were undernourished. Similar proportions were observed across age, number of children born, marital status, education status, and occupation. Most adolescent pregnant women in this study achieved adequate dietary diversity. However, socio-demographic factors such as age, marital status, and education, as well as challenges like illness and loss of appetite, influenced their dietary diversity and overall nutritional status. Future research should adopt a community-based longitudinal approach to better understand these factors and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the dietary patterns of adolescent pregnant women.

Keywords: Dietary diversity, Nutrition status, Adolescent pregnant, Antenatal care

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Copyright

© This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Published By India Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (IAPEN)

  • 23 August 2025

Year: 2025, Volume: 13, Issue: 1


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