Undernutrition status and associated factors in under-5 children, in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status and associated factors in children <5 y in the Medebay Zana District, northern Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Medebay Zana District from September 8 to 29, 2013. A two-stage cluster-sampling technique was used to select 605 children age <5 y. Descriptive, binary, and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: The results of this study demonstrated that the level of stunting was 56.6%, underweight 45.3%, and wasting 34.6%. Stunting was predicted by having mothers who attended high school (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.85), living in a household where providing priority food was given to the father (AOR, 4.32; 95% CI, 2.10-9.05), and water was taken from unprotected sources (AOR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.09-4.14). In all children, initiation of breast-feeding within 1 to 3 h after birth (AOR, 4.06; 95% CI, 1.77-9.33), having mothers who could make financial decisions (AOR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.51), and being breast-fed for 12 to 23 mo (AOR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.40) were predictors of wasting. Moreover, in girls (AOR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.25, 2.69), initiation of breast-feeding 6 h after birth (AOR, 12.94; 95% CI, 4.04-41.49) and having mothers who could make financial decisions (AOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.15-0.74) were predictors of being underweight.

Conclusion: The undernutrition status among children <5 y was high. Children's age group, time initiation of breast-feeding, child's sex, source of water, parents' educational status, type of food used for starting of complementary feeding, and mothers' financial decision-making ability could have an influence in undernutrition of children in this age group.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Medabay Zana; Stunting; Tigray; Undernutrition; Underweight; Wasting.