Abstract
Prevalence of malnutrition among under-five children is very high in many developing countries of the World. As a step towards reducing the prevalence, there is need to identify the important determinants of malnutrition in the specific context. This study examined the prevalence and determinants of malnutrition among under-five children of farming households in Kwara State, Nigeria. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to analyze anthropometrics data collected from 127 children selected randomly from 40 rural villages in the State. Descriptive results indicate that 23.6%, 22.0% and 14.2% of the sample children were stunted, underweight and wasted respectively. Regression analysis shows that the significant determinants of malnutrition were gender and age of child, education and body mass index of mother, calorie intake of the households, access to clean water and presence of toilet in the households. To reduce the present high rate of malnutrition in the area, the study suggests the targeting of women with education programmes and provision of clean water, including the enforcement of healthy environment in the rural areas.
Highlights
Reducing malnutrition among children under the age of five remains a huge challenge in developing countries of the World
This is lower than the national average of N45,250 in Nigeria, but still a reasonable figure for households located in rural areas of Nigeria (NBS, 2006)
Our results show that about 65% of the households have access to clean water, while 56.6% have sanitary toilet in their house
Summary
About 54% of deaths among children of this age group are believed to be associated with malnutrition in developing countries (FAO, 2008). Malnutrition is widespread in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas. This is partly due www.ccsenet.org/jas to inadequate food and nutrient supply. The 2004 Food Consumption and Nutrition Survey reported similar trends with 42% stunted, 25% underweight and 9% wasted (Ajieroh, 2010). These surveys indicated significant variation between the rural and urban areas with children from rural areas worse affected by malnutrition
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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.
