Young maternal age is a risk factor for child undernutrition in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Malnutrition is a major contributor to child illness and death globally.
• Adolescent and young maternal age are associated with adverse child health outcomes.
• Understanding these risks in specific populations is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the nutritional status of children under five years of age, focusing on mothers of teenage versus adult age groups.
• To identify specific nutritional deficiencies (stunting, wasting, underweight) in children based on maternal age.
• To provide data for public health strategies in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study design involving 300 mother-child pairs (150 cases, 150 controls).
• Data collection included socio-demographic information via questionnaires and anthropometric measurements for children.
• Nutritional status was assessed using WHO Child Growth Standards to derive anthropometric z-scores; logistic regression was employed for analysis.

Main Results:

• Children of teenage mothers were significantly more likely to be stunted (AOR=7.56), wasted (AOR=2.90), and underweight (AOR=12.78) compared to children of adult mothers.
• These associations remained significant after adjusting for potential confounding factors.
• The study highlights a strong correlation between young maternal age and increased risk of child malnutrition.

Conclusions:

• Young maternal age is a significant risk factor for malnutrition in children under five.
• Targeted interventions are urgently needed for teenage mothers and their children to mitigate malnutrition risks.
• Public health policies should prioritize support for adolescent mothers to improve child nutritional outcomes.