Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 2, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Tracking progress in anthropometric failure among under-five children in Ethiopia: a geospatial and multilevel
Binyam Tariku Seboka1, Samuel Hailegebreal2, Delelegn Emwodew Yehualashet3
1School of Public Health, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia. biniyamt@du.edu.et.
Insights
Child undernutrition remains high in Ethiopia, affecting over 46% of children. The composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) highlights risks in northern regions and identifies factors like low birth weight and maternal education for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Background:
- Undernutrition is a critical public health issue affecting children under five in developing nations.
- The composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) aids in identifying children with multiple nutritional deficiencies.
- Assessing the spatio-temporal distribution of childhood anthropometric failures is crucial for understanding trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the overall prevalence of undernutrition using the CIAF in Ethiopian children.
- To analyze the spatio-temporal distribution of anthropometric failures.
- To identify factors associated with anthropometric failures in children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized secondary data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (2005, 2011, 2016).
- Included 23,864 nationally representative children aged 0-59 months.
- Employed descriptive statistics, multivariate multilevel logistic regression, and Getis-Ord spatial analysis.
Main Results:
- CIAF prevalence decreased from 53.5% (2005) to 46.2% (2016).
- High-risk areas for anthropometric failures were consistently identified in northern Ethiopia (Amhara, Tigray, Afar regions).
- Risk factors included older age, low birth weight, maternal low BMI, rural residence, and uneducated parents.
Conclusions:
- CIAF effectively identifies children with multiple anthropometric failures, often missed by standard surveys.
- Despite a declining trend, anthropometric failure prevalence remains high and spatially varied in Ethiopia.
- Identified socio-demographic factors and high-risk districts can inform localized interventions to improve child nutrition.
Background:
Undernutrition is a major public health concern among under-five children in many developing countries. This work evaluated the overall prevalence of under-nutrition by using a composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF), which helps in the detection of children with multiple anthropometric failures. This research also includes the Spatio-temporal distribution of childhood anthropometric failures across time.
Methods:
Secondary data was obtained from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey for the survey 2005, 2011, and 2016 years. Data included 23,864 samples of children between the ages of 0-59 months, which is a nationally representative sample in Ethiopia. Other than descriptive statistics, the multivariate multilevel logistic regression was used to identify associated factors, and Getis-Ord spatial statistical tools were employed to identify high and low hotspots areas of anthropometric failures.
Result:
The prevalence obtained with CIAF in 2005, 2011, and 2016 was, 53.5 %, 51 %, and 46.2 % of children were suffering from under-nutrition respectively. The spatial analysis revealed areas that are at a higher risk of anthropometric failures consistently were found in northern parts of the country, largely in the Amhara, Tigray, and Afar regions. Multilevel logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of anthropometric failure was higher among older children, had low birth weight, had a mother with low BMI, was in a rural area, had mothers and fathers without formal education.
Conclusions:
In addition to identifying wasted, stunted, and underweight children, CIAF also identified children with multiple conditions, which are often overlooked in nutritional surveys. As revealed by this composite index, the prevalence of anthropometric failure remains considerably high and its spatial distribution also significantly varied across the regions in the country. The established socio-demographic characteristics and districts with a higher risk of anthropometric failure can be used to develop localized intervention and prevention strategies to improve Ethiopian children's nutritional status and healthcare.
More Related Videos
03:35Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
Published on: December 1, 2023
09:24Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Related Concept Videos
01:29Levels of Use of a GIS
01:24Obesity