Assessment of Under-Five Malnutrition Knowledge among Mothers Attending Sinza Antenatal Clinic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ubungo District, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Normal life activities necessitate a well-balanced diet and a healthy body, both of which should be developed during childhood. Malnutrition is a health problem that occurs when the body receives insufficient food nutrients. Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in Tanzania. Mothers’ knowledge across specific domains such as dietary diversity, signs of malnutrition, feeding practices and prevention is critical for early detection and prevention.
Objective: To assess domain-specific knowledge of under-five malnutrition among mothers attending the Sinza antenatal clinic and to examine associations between knowledge level and socio-demographic factors.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 103 mothers with children under five years attending Sinza antenatal clinic. A structured, pre-tested questionnaire assessed four knowledge domains: (1) definition and signs of malnutrition, (2) causes, (3) prevention and feeding practices including exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding timing, and (4) complications. The questionnaire comprised 10 scored items; each correct response scored 1 point for a maximum score of 10. Knowledge categories were defined a prior as high (≥75%, score ≥8), average (50–74%, score 5–7), and low. Ethical approval was obtained from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences Institutional Ethical Board and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Results: The mean age of participants was 25.1 years (SD = 4.5). Overall, 65.0% of mothers scored in the high knowledge category, 11.7% in the average category, and 23.3% in the low category. Domain-specific findings included: definition and signs correctly identified by 70.9% of mothers; causes by 68.9%; prevention and feeding practices by 73.6% for exclusive breastfeeding and 84.5% for appropriate complementary feeding initiation; complications by 83.5%. Knowledge level was significantly associated with maternal age (p = 0.000), education level (p = 0.002), and number of children (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Most mothers attending Sinza antenatal clinic demonstrated high overall knowledge of under-five malnutrition, but gaps remain in recognition of signs and optimal complementary feeding timing. Antenatal clinics represent an effective platform for targeted nutrition education, especially for first-time mothers and those with lower educational attainment. Integrating structured nutrition counselling into routine antenatal services could strengthen prevention and early detection of childhood malnutrition.

Maternal knowledge; under-five malnutrition

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