Abstract
Children younger than five years are the most vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in rural areas of Nzega district in Tanzania to assess the prevalence and factors of malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of households with target children. The study enrolled 460 mother-child pairs from five wards. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Child nutritional status was assessed based on anthropometric measurements. The potential contributing factors to malnutrition were also assessed. These included: child feeding practices, socio-demographic characteristics, access to water, sanitation, history of illness episodes (diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection) and child immunization status. The survey data were analyzed using SPSS for windows version 17.0 whilst anthropometric data were analysed using the ENA for SMART (2011) software. Almost all children (98.5%) were breastfed. It was found that about one quarter (25.6%) were breastfed immediately after birth and one third (33.5%) received pre-lacteal feeds. Prevalence of stunting (height- for- age Z score <-2), wasting (weight- for-height Z score <-2) and underweight (weight-for-age Z score <-2) were 26.1, 6.5% and 11.7%, respectively. Chronic malnutrition (stunting) was significantly (p<0.05) associated with child’s sex and age, mother’s education, number of antenatal care visits (ANC) and family size. Others factors were episodes of diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and access to safe water. Overall, the nutritional status of the children is sub-optimal and therefore, attention is needed to address the situation.
Highlights
Many children in the developing countries are exposed to multiple risks for poor development including poverty and poor health and nutrition (Grantham-McGregor et al, 2007)
Underweight reveals low body mass relative to chronological age, which is influenced by both, a child’s height and weight (WHO, 1995).There was a significant correlation between under weight and stunting (r = 0.509, p
The present study attempted to assess the prevalence of malnutrition, identify the factors that influence child nutritional status in rural Tanzania and evaluate their importance
Summary
Many children in the developing countries are exposed to multiple risks for poor development including poverty and poor health and nutrition (Grantham-McGregor et al, 2007). Malnutrition in children below five years of age remains a significant cause of mortality and is a development issue in the region. Children become malnourished if they suffer from diseases that cause under nutrition or if they are unable to eat sufficient nutritious food (WHO, 2006). These two causes often occur together and result from multiple underlying factors including inadequate access to food and health services (WHO, 2010; Akanbiemu, 2014). The nature and magnitude of such factors vary from one place to another (Fernandez et al, 2002; URT, 2010)
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