Ssenyondo Muzafaru, Bachou Hanifa, Bukenya Richard, Kajjura Richard, Guwatudde David
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda.
Department of Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7072, Uganda.
Life (Basel). 2022 Apr 29;12(5):664. doi: 10.3390/life12050664.
The feeding and caring practices of infants and young children are critical to children's nutrition status and development milestones. Most nutrition studies have focused on unfavorable factors that contribute to malnutrition rather than favorable factors that promote good nutrition status among children. This study aimed at identifying predictors of normal nutrition status among children aged 6-24 months in Gulu District, Northern Uganda. A matched case-control study was conducted on a sample of 300 (i.e., 100 cases and 200 controls) purposively selected children during October-December 2021. Controls were children that had normal nutrition status, whereas cases with undernourished children had at least one type of undernutrition. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of good nutrition status using odds ratios (ORs). The mean age of the cases and controls was 15 months (SD ± 6) and 13 months (SD ± 5), respectively. At multivariable analysis, breastfeeding in the first hour of the child's life (AOR = 3.31 95% CI. 1.52-7.23), use of family planning (AOR = 2.21 95% CI. 1.25-3.90), number of under-fives in the household (AOR = 0.31 95% CI. 0.13-0.73) and hand washing with soap (AOR = 3.63 95% CI. 1.76-7.49) were significantly independently associated with a child's good nutrition status. Interventions that can improve children's nutrition status include breastfeeding in the first hour of child's life, use of family planning methods, child spacing and hand washing with soap.
婴幼儿的喂养和护理方式对儿童的营养状况和发育里程碑至关重要。大多数营养研究都集中在导致营养不良的不利因素上，而非促进儿童良好营养状况的有利因素。本研究旨在确定乌干达北部古卢区6至24个月儿童正常营养状况的预测因素。2021年10月至12月期间，对300名（即100例病例和200名对照）有目的地选取的儿童进行了一项匹配病例对照研究。对照是营养状况正常的儿童，而病例是至少有一种营养不良类型的营养不良儿童。使用逻辑回归通过比值比（OR）来确定良好营养状况的预测因素。病例组和对照组的平均年龄分别为15个月（标准差±6）和13个月（标准差±5）。在多变量分析中，孩子出生后第一小时内进行母乳喂养（调整后比值比 = 3.31，95%置信区间为1.52 - 7.23）、使用计划生育措施（调整后比值比 = 2.21，95%置信区间为1.25 - 3.90）、家庭中五岁以下儿童的数量（调整后比值比 = 0.31，95%置信区间为0.13 - 0.73）以及用肥皂洗手（调整后比值比 = 3.63，95%置信区间为1.76 - 7.49）与儿童良好的营养状况显著独立相关。可以改善儿童营养状况的干预措施包括孩子出生后第一小时内进行母乳喂养、使用计划生育方法、生育间隔以及用肥皂洗手。
