Prevalence and risk factors for malnutrition among children aged 5 years and less in the Lefaragatlha village of Bophuthatswana

Abstract

A cross-sectioned study was conducted at the Lefaragatha village of Bophuthatswana to document the prevalence and risk factors for malnutrition in children aged 0-5 years in June 1991. Fifty four households, in which there were children in the right age groups, were interviewed over three weeks. Of these children 14 (25.9%) were below the 3rd percentile of weight for age of the 1976 National Centre for Health Statistics standards; in the age group of 2 years and less, this figure was 28.6%, while in children older than 2 years the corresponding figure was 71.4%. Malnutrition was associated with a mother's consumption of alcohol and lack of resources such as water and an inappropriate staple diet. Education and income were not significant variables.

PIP: In Lefaragatlha village of Bophuthatswana, South Africa, interviews were conducted with 54 mothers and anthropometric measurements were taken of their children under 5 years old to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for malnutrition. 48% of mothers had undergone health education on malnutrition. 25.9% of the children were underweight. Children older than 2 were more likely to be underweight than those younger than 2 (71.4% vs. 28.6%). 20.4% of all children suffered from stunting. Girls were more likely to be underweight and stunted than boys (78.6% vs. 21.4% and 72.7% vs. 27.3%, respectively). Weight-for-height measurements showed that 16.7% of children suffered from malnutrition. Girls were again more likely to suffer from weight-for-height based malnutrition than boys (66.7% vs. 33.3%). Maternal alcohol consumption was significantly associated with malnutrition (X2 = 6.642; p 0.01). Limited access to a water source was significantly associated with malnutrition (X2 = 8.623; p 0.01). An inappropriate staple diet also contributed significantly to malnutrition (X2 = 3.983; p 0.05). Neither household income nor maternal education were related to child nutrition status. Other problems that likely contributed to malnutrition in this village were illegitimacy, single mothers, unemployment of mothers, and migrant workers fathering children and abandoning them and their mothers when they returned to their homelands. These findings confirm that boys receive preferential treatment over girls when it comes to food. Recommendations to improve the child nutritional status of the village include establishment of a community-based, community development program led by lay-workers, routine visits by mobile health units to provide immunization and health and nutrition education, positive approach by and active involvement of health workers, promotion of breast feeding and family planning, and application of UNICEF GOBI-FFF principles.