Prevalence and associated factors influencing stunting and wasting among children of ages 1 to 5 years in Nkwanta South Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

Childhood undernutrition continues to be a major public health problem and one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The risk factors of child undernutrition are diverse and change with time, place, and season. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors influencing stunting and wasting among children 1 to 5 years of age in the Nkwanta South Municipality, Ghana. This was a health facility–based descriptive cross-sectional study that used a multistage sampling technique to select 240 children 1 to 5 years of age from April to June 2019. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The data were analyzed using ENA software 2011, and Stata version 15. Binary logistic regression was used to find the adjusted estimates and associations between undernutrition (stunting and wasting) and the exposure variables. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval. The prevalence of stunting and wasting among the children was 12.5% and 27.5%, respectively. Factors influencing stunting were parents’ working status, number of children in the household, child's age, birth interval, exclusive breastfeeding, child's vaccination status, and recurrent diarrhea. Furthermore, factors influencing wasting were parents’ educational level, parents' working status, child's age, birth interval, exclusive breastfeeding, poor appetite, child's vaccination status, and recurrent diarrhea. The results showed a high prevalence of stunting and wasting among children 1 to 5 years in the Nkwanta South Municipality. This finding indicates the degree to which nutritional screening for children is very crucial, and thus recommends government and health authorities to adapt or promote nutrition-related interventions such as educational awareness on the utilization of family planning services for birth spacing, exclusive breastfeeding practices, and vaccination to prevent undernutrition among young children.