Peer-reviewed article
Determinants of Maternal Malnutrition and Child Health in Balanga LGA, Gombe State, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study
Rosemary Dickson-Nze, Paul Balogun, Laughter Amamchukwu, Olakunle Daramola, Tasiu Sani et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This qualitative study looked at why mothers and children in Balanga LGA, Gombe State, Nigeria face poor nutrition and health outcomes. Researchers interviewed pregnant women, health workers, and local leaders about food habits, farming conditions, and health services. They found that a starchy diet, cultural food taboos, a dam collapse that hurt farming and fishing, and weak health facilities all combine to cause maternal malnutrition. This in turn was linked by participants to low birth weight, stunting, and delayed vaccinations in children. The authors suggest better diagnostics, food vouchers, and irrigation repair could help, but these ideas were not tested in this study.
Key points
- 97% of participants ate a starchy staple (tuwo) daily, showing low dietary diversity
- 70% avoided eggs due to cultural beliefs about 'theft destiny'
- The 2019 Balanga Dam collapse cut irrigated land from 11,000 ha to under 2,000 ha, raised fish prices by 180%, and reduced dietary diversity from 28% to 18%
- Average antenatal care attendance was only 2.9 visits, and 64% of facilities lacked equipment to test for anemia
- Community members linked maternal undernutrition ('weak blood') to low birth weight, stunting and delayed vaccination in children
Limitations
The study is based on a small qualitative sample (20 in focus groups, 5 interviews, 12 key informants) from one local government area, so findings may not generalise elsewhere, and no intervention was actually tested.
Abstract
Maternal malnutrition remains a key driver of adverse birth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, yet contextual evidence on multi-level determinants in north-eastern Nigeria is scarce. This study explored how socio-cultural, environmental, and health-system factors shape maternal nutrition and child health in Balanga Local Government Area (LGA), Gombe State. An exploratory qualitative design underpinned by interpretive phenomenology was employed. Two focus-group discussions (n = 20), five in-depth interviews, and twelve key-informant interviews were conducted among pregnant women, health workers and governance actors. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 14 and triangulated across sources. Carbohydrate dominance (97% consumed tuwo daily) was reinforced by cultural prohibitions: 70% avoided eggs due to “theft destiny” beliefs. The 2019 Balanga Dam collapse reduced irrigated area from 11 000 ha to ess-than 2 000 ha, raised dried-fish prices by 180% and cut dietary diversity from 28% to 18%. Antenatal care attendance averaged 2.9 visits; 64% of facilities lacked haemoglobinometry. Participants attributed low birth-weight, stunting and delayed vaccination to “weak blood” from maternal undernutrition. Maternal malnutrition in Balanga LGA is produced by intersecting cultural taboos, agronomic shock and health-system challenges. An integrated package of point-of-care diagnostics, conditional e-vouchers and irrigation rehabilitation could avert maternal and child death caused by low birth weight and maternal malnutrition. The findings can be adapted by other Sub-Saharan African countries experiencing similar environmental instability and gendered food allocation.