Introduction: There exist some variation in nutrient needs, and general physiology of
adult and adolescent women, as well as physiologic stress imposed by pregnancy which
can affect their infants. This may result from their nutrients demands due to differences in
their developmental stage.
Objective: To compare the nutritional status of adult and adolescent mothers and their
infants.
Methodology: The study was a cross sectional study design. Two Hundred and sixty
mother-child pairs participated in the study (130 adult mother-child pairs and 130
adolescent mother-child pairs) and were recruited during post natal and child welfare
clinic at four health centres within the Kpone, Ashaiman, Teshie Nungua and Tema
municipal Assemblies. Semi-structured questionnaires were used in collecting
background socio demographic data and data on maternal nutrition knowledge. A food
frequency questionnaire was used in collecting dietary data. Anthropometric
measurements and haemoglobin concentrations were taken for both adult and adolescent
mothers and their infants.
Results: Average nutrition knowledge was lower in adult mothers as compared to
adolescent mothers (8.25±2.75 vs. 9.90±4.04;p<0.001); daily, weekly and monthly
dietary diversity was lower in adult mothers as compared to adolescent mothers, (8.31
±2.83 vs. 10.11±2.76, p<0.001), (13.39 ± 1.95 vs. 14.38 ±1.66 p<0.001) and(14.49± 1.51
vs. 14.95± 1.31,p=0.009). There was significant difference in the height measurement of
the adult and adolescent mothers (157.70±7.41 vs. 153.91±9.18, p<0.001) weight
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measurement (64.36±13.40 vs. 60.53±12.4, p<0.001) and Mid upper arm circumference
(MUAC) measurement (29.85±3.62 vs. 28.49±4.04, p<0.001) but not the body mass
index (BMI) categories (underweight, normal, overweight and obese). Prevalence of
anaemia in the adult and adolescent mothers was not significant. With the exception of
length-for-age z-score where there was a significant difference between children of adult
and adolescent mothers, weight-for-age z-score and weight-for-length z-score were not
significantly different. Mothers who had high dietary diversity score as compared to
mothers who had low diversity score were less likely to be undernourished than normal.
On the other hand, mothers who had high dietary diversity score as compared to low
dietary score were more likely to be overweight/obese than normal.
Conclusion: Adolescents have more easy access to health and nutrition information
through schools, recreational activities, and mass media than they have later in their lives
and so this may have influenced the high level of nutrition knowledge and dietary
diversity of the adolescent mothers. Growth of adolescent mothers during the adolescent
stage might have increased the rate of stunting in their children as compared to that of the
adult mothers.