Abstract
BackgroundUndernutrition remains the major public health concern in Ethiopia and continues as the underlying cause of child mortality. However, there is a scarcity of information on the magnitude and determinant factors of undernutrition. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months in East Belesa District, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May, 2014. A multistage stratified sampling technique was used to select 633 study participants. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. In order to identify factors associated with undernutrition (stunting and wasting) a multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) was computed to show the strength of the association. In the multivariate analysis, variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered as statistically significant.ResultsIn this study, about 57.7 and 16 % of the children were stunted and wasted, respectively. The odds of stunting were higher in children born to mothers who gave their first birth before 15 years of age (AOR = 2.4; 95 % CI: 1.19, 5.09) and gave prelacteal feeding to their child (AOR = 1.83; 95 % CI: 1.28, 2.61). However, lower odds of stunting were observed among children aged 36–47 months (AOR = 0.41; 95 % CI: 0.22, 0.78) and had higher family monthly income, Et. Br. 750–1000, (AOR = 0.61; 95 % CI: 0.39, 0.92). Moreover, the odds of wasting were higher among children who received butter as prelacteal food (AOR = 2.32; 95 % CI:1.82, 5.31).ConclusionChild undernutrition is a critical public health problem in the study area. Advanced age of children (36–47 months) and higher family monthly income were inversely associated with stunting. However, higher odds of stunting were observed among children whose mothers delivered their first child before 15 years of age, and gave their children prelacteal feeding. Thus, delaying the first pregnancy and reducing prelacteal feeding is of a paramount significance in reducing the burden of undernutrition.
Highlights
Undernutrition remains the major public health concern in Ethiopia and continues as the underlying cause of child mortality
Study design and setting A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2014 in East Belesa District, northwest Ethiopia
Advanced age (36–47 months) of children and higher family monthly income were significantly associated with lower odds of stunting
Summary
Undernutrition remains the major public health concern in Ethiopia and continues as the underlying cause of child mortality. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months in East Belesa District, northwest Ethiopia. Nutritional status of children is an important outcome measure of their health status [1]. Child undernutrition (stunting and wasting) which is highly prevalent in low and middle income countries is crippling global economic growth [2, 3]. Wasting is a health condition that reflects acute nutritional deficit, while stunting is a measure of linear growth retardation showing the cumulative effect of chronic food deprivation [1]. About one quarter (26 %), and nearly one-tenth (8 %) of children are stunted and wasted, respectively [3]. A considerable burden (80 %) of global undernutrition is observed in developing countries where most of the children live in substandard and insanitary conditions [4]. In Africa, the overall prevalence of stunting is 47 % [5]; it is 42 % in East Africa [3]
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