Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Practices And Nutrition Status Of Pregnant Adolescents In Mandera County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Adolescent’s pregnancy is on the increase. This consequently has led to high morbidity, mortality among the born child. Appropriate mother’s nutrition status during pregnancy is essential for both the mother and the fetus. Dietary intake among pregnant adolescents is a key factor that influences their nutrition status and the birth outcome. Nutrition knowledge of the mothers has been shown to affect the dietary practices of the children. However, nutrition knowledge among pregnant adolescents is normally ignored. More research has focused on pregnant mothers in general with a little focus on those who are adolescents. In addition, there is inadequate information on nutrition status and dietary intake among pregnant adolescents. Thus, the study aimed to assess nutrition knowledge, dietary practices and nutrition status of pregnant adolescents. A cross sectional analytical design was used, to carry out the study in Mandera East Sub-County, Mandera County which is one of the ASAL areas in Kenya. A sample size of 258 pregnant adolescents visiting the various Health Facilities in Mandera East Sub-County was selected using a systematic sampling technique from hospital records. A researcher administered questionnaire was used for collecting data. Additional data was collected using focus group discussions guides and key informants interviews. Nutri-survey software was used to analyze dietary data for amount of nutrients consumed. Data was collected, entered and analyzed using SPSS. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used assess the relationships between non-categorical variables while chi-square was used for categorical variables. Logistical regression analysis was used to assess prediction among variables. A probability value