Determinants of Nutritional Status in School-Aged Children in Mecha, Northwest Ethiopia
Tilahun Tewabe1,2, Amare Belachew2
1Global Health Department, Australian national University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Insights
School feeding programs and adequate feeding frequency are crucial for improving child nutrition in Ethiopia. Lack of school feeding increases underweight risk, while decreased feeding during illness exacerbates wasting. Nutritional status is linked to child and maternal age.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Child malnutrition, including wasting and underweight, is a significant global health issue, particularly affecting children under five.
- Ethiopia faces substantial challenges with child malnutrition, with high rates of underweight, wasting, and severe wasting among young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors and their prevalence contributing to underweight, stunting, and wasting in school-aged children in Mecha, northwest Ethiopia.
- To provide data for targeted interventions to improve child nutritional outcomes in the region.
Main Methods:
- A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Mecha, Ethiopia, involving 422 school-aged children.
- Data were collected using a pretested, interviewer-administered structured questionnaire.
- Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to determine associations between variables and nutritional status.
Main Results:
- Prevalence rates for underweight, wasting, and stunting were 5.8%, 10.8%, and 11.6%, respectively.
- Access to school-based feeding was linked to lower underweight levels (AOR=0.137).
- Decreased feeding frequency during illness correlated with higher wasting (AOR=3.307), while younger child age, maternal age (18-45 years), and increased feeding frequency were associated with lower stunting (AORs ranging from 0.270 to 16.721).
Conclusions:
- Lack of school-based feeding is associated with increased underweight, and reduced feeding during illness with wasting in Ethiopian school-aged children.
- Child and maternal age, alongside feeding frequency, significantly influences stunting.
- Enhancing access to school feeding and ensuring adequate feeding frequency may improve nutritional status among Ethiopian school-aged children.
Background:
Globally, about 50 million children younger than age 5 years experience wasting; of these 16 million (2.4%) are severely wasted. In Ethiopia, about 9% of the children are severely underweight, 10% are wasted, and 3% are severely wasted.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors that could lead to underweight, stunting, and wasting among school-aged children in Mecha, northwest Ethiopia, along with their magnitude.
Methods:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Mecha, northwest Ethiopia from April 1, 2018, to June 15, 2018. The study enrolled 422 school-aged children. A pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis.
Results:
The prevalence of underweight, wasting, and stunting were 5.8%, 10.8%, and 11.6%, respectively. Access to school-based feeding was significantly associated with a lower level of underweight (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.137; 95% CI, 0.020-0.921), and claimed decreased frequency of feeding during illness was associated with a higher level of wasting (AOR = 3.307; 95% CI, 1.025-10.670). Furthermore, younger age of the child (AOR = 16.721; 95% CI, 3.314-84.357), mother's age between 18 and 45 years (AOR = 3.474; 95% CI, 1.145-10.544), and increased frequency of feeding (AOR = 0.270; 95% CI, 0.098-0.749) were all associated with a lower level of stunting.
Conclusions:
In this study, the lack of access to school-based feeding was associated with higher level of underweight, and claimed decreased frequency of feeding during illness was associated with wasting. In addition, older age of the child, increase in mother's age, and decreased frequency of feeding were associated with higher levels of stunting. The associations suggest that increased access to both school-based feeding and frequency of feeding might improve the nutritional status of school-aged Ethiopian children. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2020; 81:XXX-XXX) © 2020 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.
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