The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invite you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 2 December 2025 at 12:45pm. The seminar will be presented by Dr Derrick Sekgala.

About the Seminar:

Maternal pregnancy experiences and Nutritional Status Among Infants of Adolescent Mothers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Adolescent pregnancy remains a major public health concern in South Africa, contributing to intergenerational cycles of malnutrition and poor child health outcomes. Infants born to adolescent mothers face heightened biological and socioeconomic vulnerabilities that compromise intrauterine growth and increase the risk of being born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) or stunted.

Limited evidence exists on how maternal pregnancy experiences shape newborn nutritional status in this high-risk population. We aim to examine the prevalence and maternal predictors of small-for-gestational-age and stunting among newborns of adolescent mothers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, using the INTERGROWTH-21st Newborn Size Standards. This cross-sectional analysis included 706 first-born infants with complete Road-to-Health Booklet data. Newborn anthropometry was classified using the INTERGROWTH-21st Newborn Size Standards. Nutritional outcomes included small-for- gestational-age (SGA, <10th centile), severe SGA (<3rd centile), and stunting (length-for-gestational-age <10th centile). Maternal pregnancy experiences were assessed through structured interviews.

Nearly one in five infants were SGA and one-third were stunted at birth, highlighting substantial intrauterine growth restriction. Preterm birth continued school attendance during pregnancy, and maternal HIV status emerged as major risk factors for impaired foetal growth. These findings underscore the need for adolescent-sensitive antenatal and nutritional interventions, psychosocial support for pregnant learners, and targeted efforts to prevent preterm birth to break intergenerational cycles of malnutrition and disadvantage.

Speakers

Dr. Derrick Sekgala is a public health researcher with a PhD in Public Health. He is a Junior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Science Research, at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Dr. Sekgala has a strong background in non-communicable diseases, nutrition-related cardiometabolic disorders, and the social determinants of health.

  2 December 2025
  12:45 - 14:00 SAST
   CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29 Robert Leslie Social Science Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa