Maternal Nutrition

Despite progress at reducing stunting among children under five, the nutritional status of women in Tanzania is unacceptably poor. Far too many women – especially adolescents and those who are nutritionally at-risk – are not receiving the nutrition services they need to be healthy and give their babies the best chance to survive, grow and develop.

More than half (56 per cent) of pregnant women in Tanzania are anaemic.

Only 65 per cent of women attend at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits as recommended, and iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation remains low. Meanwhile, overweight and obesity among women is now a public health challenge, with 36 per cent of women 15-49 years of age living with overweight or obesity.

Poor maternal nutrition has far-reaching consequences. Maternal malnutrition directly affects pregnancy outcomes, contributing to maternal and neonatal mortality. Tanzania’s maternal mortality rate stands at 104 deaths per 100,000 live births, while neonatal mortality is 24 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Deficiencies in essential nutrients such as iodine, iron, folate, calcium and zinc during pregnancy can lead to severe complications such as pre- eclampsia and haemorrhage. For infants, these deficiencies increase the risk of stillbirth, wasting and developmental delays.

Further, maternal undernutrition is a significant predictor of stunting and wasting in early childhood, perpetuating a cycle of malnutrition across generations. Maternal overweight and obesity are also major risk factors for poor birth outcomes and several chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This triple burden of malnutrition is both a cause and consequence of gender inequality with social and structural barriers limiting limited access to nutritious foods and health services, and restricted decision-making power deeply influencing women’s health, nutrition and economic prospects.

This underscores the critical need for improved maternal nutrition to break the cycle of malnutrition and its associated health and equality challenges.

UNICEF Tanzania is committed to improving maternal nutrition by promoting healthy eating, micronutrient supplementation— including IFA and multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS)—and deworming prophylaxis for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This also includes supporting the health system to undertake nutrition screening, including hemoglobin (Hb) and weight monitoring, while also promoting nutritional counselling during pregnancy and lactation to enhance maternal and child health outcomes. 

Learn more here