Machine Learning Techniques to Predict Fetal Nutritional Status

Malnutrition remains the leading cause of child mortality in Tanzania, with over 34% of children under 5 years of age affected by stunting and approximately 5% experiencing acute malnutrition. This study aimed to develop a machine learning model to predict fetal nutritional status using maternal and clinical data, thereby enabling early risk identification for health workers and parents and facilitating timely intervention. To enhance practical applicability, the model was deployed within a mobile application to provide accessible, real-time predictions that support prompt clinical and behavioral responses.

Using a dataset collected in Tanzania, the performance of multiple binary classification algorithms-logistic regression, multi-layer perceptron, random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM)-was compared using the geometric mean and F-measure. These models were trained on clinical data from 11,703 pregnant women to predict fetal nutritional status based on maternal and clinical variables.

The results indicated that the LightGBM algorithm achieved the best overall performance in predicting fetal nutritional status. The most influential predictors included maternal age, weight, fetal age, hemoglobin level, number of meals per day, medical history, and education level. Additionally, 93% of respondents reported satisfaction with the application's predictive functionality, supporting its potential utility for early intervention in low-resource settings.

These findings highlight the potential of data-driven approaches to address public health challenges in maternal and child health. The proposed model may enable healthcare providers to make timely, informed decisions that improve maternal and fetal outcomes, ultimately contributing to the reduction of child malnutrition in Tanzania.