Dietary Practices and Nutritional Knowledge Among Caregivers of Stunted Under-Five Children in Njombe Region, Tanzania

Abstract Background Childhood stunting remains a major public health challenge in Tanzania, including Njombe District, despite various nutrition and health interventions. Understanding the factors associated with caregivers’ dietary practices is essential for informing effective stunting reduction strategies. This study examined dietary practices among caregivers of under-five children with stunted growth and assessed their association with selected socio-demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge, and exposure to nutrition training. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among caregivers of under-five children identified as stunted at health facilities in Njombe District. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire capturing socio-demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge, nutrition training exposure, and dietary practices. Dietary practice was assessed based on adequacy of protein-rich food consumption. Nutrition knowledge was categorized using Bloom’s taxonomy. Chi-square tests of independence were used to examine associations between variables at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results A total of 151 respondents were included in the analysis. No statistically significant associations were observed between dietary practices and caregiver education level (χ² = 1.80, p = 0.180) or nutrition knowledge (χ² = 0.683, p = 0.409). Similarly, nutrition training was not significantly associated with nutrition knowledge (χ² = 0.099, p = 0.753). In contrast, a strong and statistically significant association was found between nutrition training and dietary practices (χ² = 49.6, p < 0.001). Nearly half (45.9%) of caregivers who had received nutrition training demonstrated appropriate dietary practices compared to only 1.8% among those without training. Conclusion The findings indicate that formal education and general nutrition knowledge alone are insufficient to improve dietary practices among caregivers of stunted children in Njombe District. Practical, structured nutrition training appears to play a critical role in promoting appropriate dietary practices. Strengthening community-based nutrition training in line with Tanzania’s National Nutrition Action Plan may contribute to improved feeding practices and support ongoing efforts to reduce childhood stunting.