Maternal Dietary Diversity and Exclusive Breastfeeding Outcomes in Taraba State: A Prospective Cohort Study

Maternal dietary quality during lactation influences breast milk composition, infant immune protection, and the mother's capacity to sustain exclusive breastfeeding. The relationship between antenatal and postpartum dietary diversity and exclusive breastfeeding outcomes has not been prospectively examined in North East Nigerian populations. This study uses a prospective cohort design to examine whether maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy and the early postpartum period predicts exclusive breastfeeding outcomes at six months among women in Jalingo Local Government Area, Taraba State. A cohort of 300 pregnant women in their second trimester was recruited at antenatal clinics and followed up at delivery, one month, three months, and six months postpartum. Maternal dietary diversity was assessed using the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women indicator at each time point, based on a 24-hour dietary recall. Exclusive breastfeeding status was ascertained at each follow-up visit through structured caregiver recall. Secondary outcomes included infant weight gain velocity, haemoglobin concentration at three months, and maternal nutritional status indices. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to model the association between time-varying dietary diversity and exclusive breastfeeding maintenance, adjusting for parity, socioeconomic status, postpartum depression score, household food security, and paternal education. This prospective study fills a methodological gap in the maternal nutrition and breastfeeding literature in North East Nigeria and generates evidence to guide integrated maternal nutrition and infant feeding programmes. Keywords: maternal dietary diversity, exclusive breastfeeding, prospective cohort, Taraba State, lactation.