Feyisa Beshadu Bedada, Dabu Getu Taresa
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University, PO box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia.
BMC Nutr. 2023 Sep 15;9(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s40795-023-00762-5.
About 8 to 44% of all child mortality in Africa is associated with undernutrition. To alleviate this problem, it is necessary to determine the magnitude and determinants of undernutrition during Covid 19 pandemic. However, there is scarce evidence in an urban setting like Ambo town. Therefore, this study assessed the magnitude and factors associated with undernutrition among under-five children in Ambo town, west Ethiopia.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ambo town from March 01-30, 2020. The child and mother/caregiver socio-demographic characteristics, child illness and health care utilization, and child feeding practice-related data were collected using the standardized tool adopted from similar studies conducted in Ethiopia. Anthropometric measurements of the child were made using a calibrated scale. A systematic sampling technique was employed to select 363 mothers/caregivers of the child as a source of data. Nutritional status indices were generated using ENASMART software. After testing for collinearity, variables with a p-value < 0.25 in binary logistic regression were interred to backward multiple logistic regressions at a level of significance of p < 0.05.
A total of 363 participants were included in this study providing a 100% response rate and providing the following result. The mean (+ SD) age of children was 28.85 (+ 14.17) months and that of mothers/caregivers was 28.12 + 48 years. This study found 16.00%, 25.30%, and 19.00% of the study participants were underweight, wasted, and stunted respectively. Decisions making on major food purchases, who usually care for the child, the age at which the child starts complimentary food, late introduction of complementary food were positively associated with wasting. Diarrhea, birth weight, child age, age at which the child starts complimentary food, consumption of milk and milk product, and who usually care for the child were significantly associated with being underweight. Consumption of milk and milk products, household food security level, and birth weight were independent determinants of stunting.
This study identified a high prevalence of undernutrition, especially wasting. Childbirth weight, age, diarrhea, feeding practice, household (HH) food security, Decision making on major food purchases, late introduction of complementary food were found to be the potential determinants of undernutrition. Thus there should be an effort to improve the nutritional status of children in the study area by focusing on these factors.
在非洲，所有儿童死亡病例中有8%至44%与营养不良有关。为缓解这一问题，有必要确定新冠疫情期间营养不良的严重程度及其决定因素。然而，在像安博镇这样的城市环境中，相关证据匮乏。因此，本研究评估了埃塞俄比亚西部安博镇五岁以下儿童营养不良的严重程度及其相关因素。
2020年3月1日至30日在安博镇开展了一项基于社区的横断面研究。使用从埃塞俄比亚开展的类似研究中采用的标准化工具，收集儿童及其母亲/照料者的社会人口学特征、儿童疾病及医疗保健利用情况，以及与儿童喂养习惯相关的数据。使用校准过的秤对儿童进行人体测量。采用系统抽样技术选取363名儿童的母亲/照料者作为数据来源。使用ENASMART软件生成营养状况指数。在进行共线性检验后，将二元逻辑回归中p值<0.25的变量纳入向后多因素逻辑回归，显著性水平为p<0.05。
本研究共纳入363名参与者，应答率为100%，得出以下结果。儿童的平均（±标准差）年龄为28.85（±14.17）个月，母亲/照料者的平均年龄为28.12±48岁。本研究发现，分别有16.00%、25.30%和19.00%的研究参与者体重不足、消瘦和发育迟缓。主要食品采购的决策、通常照顾孩子的人、孩子开始添加辅食的年龄、辅食添加延迟与消瘦呈正相关。腹泻、出生体重、儿童年龄、孩子开始添加辅食的年龄、牛奶及奶制品的摄入量以及通常照顾孩子的人与体重不足显著相关。牛奶及奶制品的摄入量、家庭粮食安全水平和出生体重是发育迟缓的独立决定因素。
本研究发现营养不良，尤其是消瘦的患病率很高。发现出生体重、年龄、腹泻、喂养习惯、家庭粮食安全、主要食品采购决策、辅食添加延迟是营养不良的潜在决定因素。因此，应通过关注这些因素来努力改善研究地区儿童的营养状况。
