Amoah William Wilberforce, Kobi Dora, Tabong Philip Teg-Nefaah, Kukeba Margaret Wekem, Alhassan Yakubu, Achaliwie Francisca, Amoah Augustina, Adugbire Atinyagrika Bernard
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital, Ahafo, Hwidiem, Ghana.
Clin Med Insights Pediatr. 2024 Jan 18;18:11795565231222716. doi: 10.1177/11795565231222716. eCollection 2024.
Nutrition among children under 5 plays an important role in the overall development of children physically and psychologically. Nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition generally affect children. In this study, we estimate the prevalence of 3 malnutrition indicators underweight, stunting and wasting and to assess factors associated with them.
The main objective of the study was to assess the factors contributing to malnutrition among children under 5 years old.
The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design to assess the factors contributing to malnutrition among children under 5 years of age.
This is quantitative cross-sectional facility-based study of 245 children aged 11 to 49 months. A structured questionnaire was used, and anthropometric measurements were taken to collect data. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the bivariate association between the outcomes and the characteristics. The binary logistic regression model was employed to estimate the crude and adjusted odds of malnutrition indicators among the characteristics observed in the study.
The prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting were 35.9, 13.9, and 33.9%, respectively. Underweight was significantly higher among females compared to males (42.0% vs. 24.1%) and highest among children aged 11 to 23 months (53.6%). Female children had 3 times more odds of being underweight (AOR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.56-6.12). Compared to children aged 11 to 23 months, the odds of being underweight were less among children aged 24 to 35 months (AOR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.13-0.51, < .001), and 36 to 47 months (AOR: 0.9, 95% CI: 0.03-0.29, < .001). Wasting was less prevalent among children aged 11 to 23 months (4.8%). Also, wasting was high among children aged 24 to 35 months (AOR: 27.41, 95% CI: 9.12-82.37, < .001), 36 to 47 months (AOR: 28.23, 95% CI: 7.59-104.94, < .001), and 48 to 59 months (AOR: 18.10, 95% CI: 3.04-107.76, < .001). None of the observed factors were associated with stunting in the study.
This study concludes that child malnutrition was high among under-five children. Promoting the use of healthy complementary feeding, preventing diarrheal diseases, and vaccinating children integrated with access to nutrition education programs are vital interventions to improve the nutritional status of children.
5岁以下儿童的营养在其身体和心理的全面发展中起着重要作用。营养缺乏和营养不良普遍影响着儿童。在本研究中，我们估计了体重不足、发育迟缓、消瘦这3种营养不良指标的患病率，并评估与之相关的因素。
本研究的主要目的是评估导致5岁以下儿童营养不良的因素。
本研究采用描述性横断面研究设计，以评估导致5岁以下儿童营养不良的因素。
这是一项基于机构的定量横断面研究，研究对象为245名年龄在11至49个月的儿童。使用结构化问卷，并进行人体测量以收集数据。采用Pearson卡方检验评估结果与特征之间的双变量关联。采用二元逻辑回归模型估计研究中观察到的各特征中营养不良指标的粗比值比和调整后比值比。
体重不足、发育迟缓、消瘦的患病率分别为35.9%、13.9%和33.9%。女性体重不足的患病率显著高于男性（42.0%对24.1%），在11至23个月的儿童中最高（53.6%）。女童体重不足的几率是男童的3倍（调整后比值比：3.09，95%置信区间：1.56 - 6.12）。与11至23个月的儿童相比，24至35个月的儿童体重不足的几率较低（调整后比值比：0.26，95%置信区间：0.13 - 0.51，P <.001），36至47个月的儿童也是如此（调整后比值比：0.9，95%置信区间：0.03 - 0.29，P <.001）。消瘦在11至23个月的儿童中患病率较低（4.8%）。此外，消瘦在24至35个月的儿童中患病率较高（调整后比值比：27.41，95%置信区间：9.12 - 82.37，P <.001），在36至47个月的儿童中也是如此（调整后比值比：28.23，95%置信区间：7.59 - 104.94，P <.001），在48至59个月的儿童中也是如此（调整后比值比：18.10，95%置信区间：3.04 - 107.76，P <.001）。研究中观察到的因素均与发育迟缓无关。
本研究得出结论，5岁以下儿童中儿童营养不良的情况很严重。推广健康的辅食喂养、预防腹泻疾病以及为儿童接种疫苗并结合营养教育项目，是改善儿童营养状况的重要干预措施。
