Assessment of nutritional status of preschool children of Gumbrit, North West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Economically Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and malnutrition is one of the major and most pressing health problems; especially among children. Objective: To assess the nutritional status of preschool children in a rural locality of Northwest Ethiopia Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a rural locality called Gumbrit. Weight and height of the study children were measured and the socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects were collected using a questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of malnutrition in the community was high with 28.5% of the children being underweight, 24% stunted and 17.7% wasted. Among the socioeconomic variables included in the study only family income was significantly associated with malnutrition. Conclusion: The nutritional status of children in rural communities is affected by low family income. To improve nutritional status of children the full implementation of the poverty alleviation programmes should be considered and appropriate measures need to be taken to support needy families with children.

Effect of a nutrition education programme on nutritional status of children aged 3 - 5 years in Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…In a study done in rural localities of NorthWest Ethiopia, preschool children who belonged to families with low income were at greater risk of being wasted, underweight and stunted. [21] Another factor possibly contributing to the high poverty levels observed in the current study could be the high level of illiteracy (17% of caregivers), which is comparable with other studies conducted in SA [3] and rural Uganda. [22] A low literacy rate can contribute to caregivers getting low paying jobs, resulting in low income when compared with their counterparts.…”

Determinants for Acute Malnutrition among Under-Five Children at Public Health Facilities in Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia: A Case-Control Study

“…The result is similar to studies conducted in Somali region [12], Ethiopia, Oromia region West Ethiopia [14], and Gambit, Ethiopia [9]. Similarly, other studies conducted in Iran [6], Nigeria [7], north Sudan [10] and Zimbabwe [11] argued that low family income was the risk factor for under five acute malnutrition.…”

“…Evidence showed that socio-demographic factors such as; household's poverty and income, residence, parental occupation, parental education, maternal age, family size, overcrowding, and lack of exposure to mass media have influenced the occurrence of underfive acute malnutrition [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Furthermore, some behavioral or community factors including lack of maternal and child health services, of adequate and safe water supply, hygiene of caregiver and of improved environmental sanitation play their role in the occurrence of malnutrition [13,14].…”

Predictors of Poor Anthropometric Status among Children Under Two Years of Age in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2015; Cross- Sectional Study

“…The prevalence of underweight in this study was lower as compared with EDHS 2011 (29%), Amhara region (28.5%), Tigray region [38.3%], and Western Kenya [30%] [8,[10][11][12][13]. This difference may be due to the attribution of season.…”