Publication:

Nutritional status and pregnancy outcomes among adolescent mothers in a rural Bangladeshi population

Background Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant public health concern, particularly in rural Bangladesh, where it is often associated with poor maternal nutritional status and adverse neonatal outcomes. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of adolescent mothers and evaluate its association with pregnancy outcomes in a rural Bangladeshi population.

Methods This was a hospital-based cross-sectional observational study conducted among 105 adolescent mothers (aged 15–19 years) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 300 Bedded Hospital, Narayanganj, Bangladesh, from January 2025 to December 2025, in the rural setting of Bangladesh. Data were entered and analyzed using statistical software (SPSS version 26). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results In this study of 105 adolescent mothers, most participants were 18–19 years old (61.0%) and primigravida (78.1%). Nutritional assessment showed that 37.1% were underweight and 53.3% were anemic. Regarding pregnancy outcomes, 24.8% had preterm delivery and 33.3% of newborns had low birth weight. Significant associations were observed between maternal underweight status and low birth weight (53.8% vs 20.7%, p=0.002), maternal anemia and preterm birth (44.4% vs 14.3%, p=0.008) and overall undernutrition with adverse pregnancy outcomes (61.5% vs 27.3%, p<0.001).

Conclusions Present research indicates that undernutrition and anemia are the main health issues that affect girls who get pregnant at a young age in rural Bangladesh and that these conditions induce health problems like low birth weight and preterm delivery. Besides, underweight mothers had much higher incidences of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes than those who had normal nutritional status.