Determinants Of Chronic Malnutrition Research Articles

Stunting and Underweight among Adolescent Girls of Indigenous Communities in Telangana, India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

India's indigenous groups remain vulnerable to malnutrition, despite economic progress, reflecting the reliance on traditional agriculture and the problems of poverty and inadequate education and sanitation. This mixed-methods study analyzed the incidence, causes and determinants of chronic malnutrition, measured through stunting, thinness and underweight among adolescent indigenous girls in Telangana. Using 2017 data on 695 girls aged 11-18 years from 2542 households, the analysis showed that 13% had normal nutritional status, while 87% were stunted, underweight or thin. Early adolescents (11-14 years) had higher underweight prevalence (24.4%), while late adolescents (15-18 years) showed greater stunting (30%). Regressions identified key influencing factors. Higher education levels of heads of households and the girls themselves alongside household toilet access significantly improved nutritional status and reduced stunting and underweight. The sociocultural emphasis on starchy staple-based diets and early marriage also impacted outcomes. Tackling this crisis requires mainstreaming nutrition across development agendas via comprehensive policies, education, communication and community participation. Further research can guide context-specific solutions. But, evidence-based investments in indigenous education, livelihoods, sanitation and women's empowerment are the first steps. Nutrition-sensitive development is indispensable for indigenous groups to fully participate in and benefit from India's progress.

Dietary diversity of 6- to 59-month-old children in rural areas of Moramanga and Morondava districts, Madagascar.

BackgroundA dietary imbalance or a disregard for the nutritional needs of children during early childhood can affect their growth. From the age of six months, breast milk is no longer able to meet the energy and micronutrient needs of children; the consumption of adequate complementary foods is therefore essential. Various indicators have been used to assess the quality of children's diets, and the dietary diversity score is a good indicator of children's diets. The objective of this study was to describe the dietary practices of children in rural areas of Moramanga and Morondava, Madagascar, and to identify the determinants of low dietary diversity to prioritize nutritional interventions.MethodsWe collected dietary data in 2014 on children aged 6–59 months in a study on the determinants of chronic malnutrition using the 24-hour recall method. Data on the characteristics of households and mothers were also collected. We carried out bivariate and multivariate analyses to identify the determinants of low dietary diversity scores for children.ResultsWe included 1824 children: 893 from Moramanga and 931 from Morondava. Approximately 42.1% [95% CI: 39.0–45.4] of the children from Moramanga and 47.6% [95% CI: 44.4–50.8] of those from Morondava had a poorly diversified diet, consisting mainly of foods rich in carbohydrates and poor in meat products. Poor maternal education was associated with a high likelihood of having a non-varied diet in both study areas; the adjusted odds ratios were 2.2 [95% CI: 1.3–3.8] and 4.0 [95% CI: 2.5–6.4] for children from mothers with lower education levels for Moramanga and Morondava, respectively. For children recruited in Morondava, having low household socioeconomic status (adjusted OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2–2.8) and belonging to a household without livestock was associated with a low dietary diversity score (adjusted OR: 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.7).ConclusionOur results show the need to improve girls' education, adapt nutrition education programs for mothers based on their level of education, and strengthen poverty reduction programs.

Prevalence and Determinants of Chronic Malnutrition Among Under-5 Children in Ethiopia

Objectives: This paper studied the prevalence and determinants of chronic malnutrition in under-5 children from the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey dataset. Methods: The 2011 EDHS collected data on the nutritional status of children by measuring the height and weight of all children under age five in the sampled households, and calculated anthropometric indicators using the new WHO (2006) growth standards. Children whose height-for-age Z-score was below minus two standard deviations (−2 SD) from the median of the WHO reference population are considered stunted or chronically malnourished and if Z-scores are between −3 SD ≤ Z-score < −2 SD were identified as moderately stunted and if below −3 SD as severely stunted. Some variables were computed by combining information for original variables. The 2011 Ethiopian DHS dataset was obtained for further analysis from MEASURE DHS after permission. Complete anthropometric data for 9,611 children aged 0 to 59 months were analyzed. Results: The overall prevalence of stunting in children was 42.3%, with 20.4% severely stunted. Socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with both severe and moderate forms of stunting. Multivariate analysis showed that parents' education, household wealth index, age of household head, child's age, months of breast-feeding, place of delivery, media exposure, mother's BMI and residential differentials were the underlining determinants of stunting. Conclusions: Chronic malnutrition in children is a public health problem in Ethiopia specifically as children grow older to age three. To achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of 34% malnutrition prevalence by 2015, it is imperative to have specific interventions focusing on causes that directly influence stunting in children.

Prevalence and Determinants of Chronic Malnutrition among Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Study in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Chronic malnutrition is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among preschool children and the future productivity of nations. To understand the prevalence of chronic malnutrition and to identify the factors affecting height-for-age z-score (HAZ) among preschool children, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 randomly-selected children aged less than five years in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Results of analysis of this study data revealed that the prevalence of stunting among preschool children in Dhaka city was 39.5%, with 25% severely stunted and 14% moderately stunted (p<0.001). Results of bivariate analysis revealed that socioeconomic and demographic factors were most significantly associated with the stunting of children. Children were found to be well-nourished if their parents had a tertiary-level education or higher and if the mother held a job and had good knowledge of nutrition. Well-nourishment of the children were also associated with the height of mothers (above 148 cm), good family educational background, normal birthweight, greater frequency of food intake (more than six times/day), and fewer fever episodes in the last six months. Results of multivariate linear regression models showed that height of mothers, birthweight of children, education of fathers, knowledge of mothers on nutrition, and frequency of feeding were the most significant factors that had an independent and direct influence on the stunting of children. To achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of 34% malnutrition prevalence by 2015, it is important to have specific government intervention to focus on the causes that directly influence the stunting of children.