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Risk Factors of Underweight in Children Aged 6-59 Months in Ethiopia

Deneke Tosheno1, Yohannes Mehretie Adinew2, Thilagavathi Thangavel2

  • 1Wolaita Zonal Health Department, Sodo, Ethiopia.

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism
|December 21, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Child undernutrition affects development. Key risk factors include child age, gender, illness, maternal education, and household income, with maternal decision-making power being a strong predictor.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Nutrition Science

Background:

  • Early childhood undernutrition has irreversible, long-lasting implications.
  • Assessing risk factors for child undernutrition is crucial for timely interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the risk factors associated with child undernutrition in children aged 6-59 months.
  • To identify key determinants influencing underweight status in young children.

Main Methods:

  • A community-based, cross-sectional study involving 642 mother-child pairs (children aged 6-59 months).
  • Multistage systematic random sampling was employed for participant selection.
  • Weight-for-age data were analyzed using WHO Anthro software and logistic regression models.

Main Results:

  • One-fourth (25%) of children were found to be underweight.
  • Significant predictors of underweight included child age, gender, illness, maternal education, maternal decision-making power, employment, and household income.
  • Maternal decision-making power (AOR: 0.07) and education (AOR: 0.19) showed a protective association with underweight.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of children in the study population were underweight.
  • Maternal decision-making power is a critical factor in preventing child underweight.
  • Interventions aimed at enhancing maternal decision-making power are recommended to combat child undernutrition.
Abstract

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