Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of child undernutrition and anemia among children 6–24 months old in the East Mamprusi district, Northern region, Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional study recruited 153 children and their mothers. Weight, height and hemoglobin levels of the children were measured. A structured questionnaire based on the World Health Organization's indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices was used to collect data on parents' socioeconomic status, household characteristics, hygiene and sanitation practices, mothers' knowledge on feeding practices such as child's meal frequency and dietary diversity and child morbidity within the past two weeks. Predictors of child nutritional status were determined using multinomial logistic regression analysis.FindingsUnderweight in the children was significantly predicted by maternal knowledge on protein foods (AOR = 0.045, p = 0.008), time of initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 0.222, p = 0.032) and maternal age (AOR = 9.455, p = 0.017). Feeding child from separate bowls (AOR = 0.239, p = 0.005), minimum meal frequency per child's age (AOR = 0.189, p = 0.007) and time of initiation of complementary feeding (AOR = 0.144, p = 0.009) were significant determinants of stunting among the children. Exclusive breast feeding (AOR = 7.975, p = 0.012) and child's past morbidity (AOR = 0.014, p = 0.001) significantly contributed to anemia among the children.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a cross-sectional study and cannot establish causality. The small sample size also limits the generalizability of study findings. However, findings of the study highlight factors which could potentially influence the high rate of child undernutrition in the study setting.Practical implicationsThis study identifies determinants of undernutrition in the East Mamprusi district, an underresourced area in Ghana. This information could inform the development/reformulation of locally sensitive key messages and targeted intervention strategies to curb the high levels of child undernutrition in the East Mamprusi district of Ghana.Originality/valueThis study identifies maternal care practices as key potential drivers of undernutrition in a low-resource setting known for high prevalence of child undernutrition. It suggests insight for large-scale studies on the predictors of child undernutrition in Northern Ghana and other resource-poor settings.
Highlights
Malnutrition is a major global public health problem associated with morbidity and mortality among children, especially in low- and middle-income countries [1]
Identifying the predictors of undernutrition in the district could inform the formulation of specific and tailored intervention strategies to reduce the high rate of undernutrition in the district, and other low-resource settings with a high burden of child undernutrition. It is against this backdrop that this study aimed to fill the knowledge gap on predictors of undernutrition and anemia among children in East Mamprusi District, Ghana
Children who were less than six months old before the introduction of complementary foods (AOR 5 0.222, p 5 0.032) and those who were six months old (AOR 5 0.346, p 5 0.044) were less likely to be moderately underweight than those fed complementary foods after six months
Summary
Malnutrition is a major global public health problem associated with morbidity and mortality among children, especially in low- and middle-income countries [1]. Undernutrition is mainly driven by poor diet and infection while household food security, nutrition knowledge, caregiver’s practices, institutional support, sociocultural factors and health services accessibility constitute the underlying factors [2,3,4]. Child undernutrition is still a public health challenge in Ghana The Northern region of Ghana had the highest rates of child undernutrition (33.1%) and anemia (82%), higher than the national average of 19% and 66%, respectively [5]. The risk of undernutrition in infants increases during the complementary feeding phase [11]. Victor et al [13] identified low parental educational level and poor economic status as significant determinants of appropriate complementary feeding practices such as meeting requirements for minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
