ReviewFood science & nutrition2023
Inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal anemia and low birth weight in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Food science & nutrition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Modifiable risk factors for anemia in pregnancy: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- The effect of nutrition education and counseling on the nutritional status of pregnant women in Ethiopia, 2025: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Association between maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy and birth outcomes: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- High Prevalence and Predictors of Maternal Anemia Risk: Nationwide Midwife-Reported Screening in Indonesia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Food desert residence and prenatal diet quality.Pregnancy (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Maternal nutrition practices and its implications for child growth and development in Jimma Town a community based cross sectional study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
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- Article
- Managing Anaemia in Pregnancy with Traditional Medicines: Experiences of women in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.PloS one · 2026Article
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- Social and Cultural Barriers and Facilitators Affecting Mothers' Dietary Practices in Eastern Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Article
- Newborn Nutritional Status at Birth and Its Association With Maternal Dietary Practices During Pregnancy in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A Path Analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- What keeps children small, thin, and weak?: exploring the early childhood impacts of socioeconomic disadvantages in Pakistan.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Community perspectives on maternal dietary diversity in rural Kenya, Mozambique and The Gambia: A PRECISE Network qualitative study.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Review
- Factors associated with child and maternal dietary diversity in the urban areas of Bangladesh.Food science & nutrition · 2024Article
- Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy increases the risk of maternal anemia and low birth weight in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Inadequately diversified food consumption during pregnancy can lead to micronutrient deficiencies, which can affect maternal and newborn health outcomes. Previous studies on maternal dietary diversity have either been limited to a specific geographical region or consist entirely of systematic reviews, without meta-analyses. Thus, this study aimed to determine the pooled estimate of the association between inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy, maternal anemia, and low birth weight in Africa. A systematic review of observational studies published between January 2000 and April 2022 was undertaken using the Google Scholar, PubMed, and CINAHL databases. The PRISMA checklist was followed to present the results. Microsoft Excel was used to abstract the data. STATA version 17 was used to analyze the data, and a random-effects meta-analysis model was applied to compute the pooled estimates. The study was registered in PROSPERO with protocol number CRD42022320873. A total of 22 publications with 9,696 participants were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for inadequate dietary diversity and maternal anemia was 2.15 (95% CI, 1.66-2.65), while that for low birth weight was 2.04 (95% CI, 1.46-2.63). The highest pooled estimate of maternal anemia was reported in Cameroon (AOR = 9.8, 95% CI: 1.68-17.92), followed by Ethiopia (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.95-3.25). Similarly, the pooled estimates of low birth weight were highest in Cameroon (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.19-4.88) and Ethiopia (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.29-2.39). In Africa, pregnant mothers with inadequate dietary diversity are two times more likely to develop anemia and low birth weight. Social protection policies that prioritize pregnant women, maternal nutrition promotion in the community, and dietary counseling during antenatal care visits, using national food-based dietary guidelines, should be strengthened.
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