Prevalence and Associated Factors of Stunting among School Age Children in Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia 2021.

INTRODUCTION

Stunting has long been regarded as one of the most important indicators of malnutrition, serving as a proxy for not just chronic nutritional deficiency but also long-term socioeconomic disadvantage among children and society as a whole. In 2016, stunting alone afflicted an estimated 154.8 million (22.9%) children under the age of five over the world. It is one of Ethiopia's most serious undernutrition and health problems among school-aged children.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence and associated factors of stunting among school-aged children in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia 2021.

METHODS

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school students in Addis Ababa city. By using a single population proportion, a formula of 627 students was recruited. From 11 sub-cities, 4 sub-cities were selected by lottery method, and 21 (30%) of the schools from the sub-city were selected. Finally, from each school, study participants were selected by using systematic random sampling, using their attendance list as a frame. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, and anthropometric measurements were taken. In order to see the association between the dependent (stunting) and independent variables, bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression were used. During bi-variable analysis, variables that had p-values of less than 0.2 were entered into multivariable analysis to see the effect of confounding factors. Adjusted Odds Ratios with 95% confidence intervals and a P-value of less than 0.05 were used to see the level of significance.

RESULT

The prevalence of stunting was 108/607 (18.0%) with a 95% CI of 14.5-20.9). Being a male child (AOR = 0.616, 95% CI, 0.34-0.96), type of water source (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI, 1.12-10.37), not feeding breast milk (AOR = 3.411, 95% CI, 1.09-10.07), educational status, and ability to read and write (AOR = 2.11, 95% CI, 1.15-3.88) were predictors of stunting.

CONCLUSION

The study showed that the prevalence of stunting was high, and it explored that stunting remains a noticeable attribute of urban school-age children. The higher educational status of the mother, exclusive breast feeding, using ground water, and being a female child were negatively associated with the prevalence of stunting. The risk of stunting was higher among male than female school-aged children. Findings from the study suggest the need to strengthen the strategies that lead to Sustainable Development Goal 4 to ensure all girls and boys complete primary and secondary schooling by 2030.