Determinants of anthropometric characteristics of under-five children in internally displaced persons' camps in Abuja municipal area council, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction displacement predisposes to deprivation and hunger and consequently malnutrition. In Nigeria, information on anthropometric characteristics and associated factors among displaced under-five children is important to strengthen strategies to ameliorate malnutrition and promote child health. This study was conducted to identify the determinants on anthropometric indices among under-five children in internally displaced persons’ camps in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods this cross-sectional study involved 317 mother-child (0-59 months) pairs selected using two-stage simple random sampling technique. Information on socio-demographic, care practices (infant feeding, immunization, deworming) and anthropometric characteristics of index children was obtained using semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Weight and length/height were assessed using standard procedure and analysed using World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression at p<0.05. Results median age was 24 months, 50.8% were male and 42.3% were delivered at health facility. Only 45.4% were exclusively breastfed, 28.8% were fed complementary foods too early, 45.4% were dewormed in the preceding six months and 43.9% had complete/up-to-date immunisation. Prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was 42%, 41% and 29.3%, respectively. Poor anthropometric indices were higher among male than female children, except wasting. Having good anthropometric index was 2.5 times higher among children <12 months than children ≥37 months (CI: 1.08-5.8), 2.4 times higher among 1 st birth order than 5 th orders (CI: 0.19-0.93), 1.7 times higher among female than male children (CI: 1.08-2.82). Conclusion malnutrition is a major health problem among under-five children in internally displaced camps and major determinants include age, birth order, gender and deworming status.

Prevalence of undernutrition and associated risk factors among under five children in rural Haldwani

“…Females were found to be more as compared to males in our study which is contrary to the sex ratio of uttrakhand. 8 This present study depicted that 6.1% were underweight, 10.3% were stunted while 3.7% were wasted while 46.8% males, out of which 9.6% were underweight, 8% were stunted while 4.2% were wasted which was Similar findings were in study conducted by Idowu et al, 9 in Nigeria where higher burden among males in terms of underweight and stunting while in wasting, higher burden was seen in females. A study conducted by Sahu et al, 10 in Puduchery showed that undernutrition was more in females.…”

Prevalence and Determinants of Undernutrition among Under-Five Children in Nigeria: A Systematic Review

“…There were 18 associated risk factors of undernutrition pooled from the 11 studies. The age of children was a risk factor in three studies (Odunayo & Oyewole, 2006;Manyike et al, 2014;Idowu et al, 2020).…”

“…Two studies for the following: Sex (Manyike et al, 2014;Idowu et al, 2020) One study for the following: Birth order, place of delivery (Olusanya & Renna, 2012), overcrowding, use of infant formula, (Odunayo & Oyewole, 2006), polygamous marriage, residence in a high-density area, living in a single room, family weekly food expenditure, incomplete immunization status, recent acute diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection (Owoaje, Onifade, & Desmennu, 2014), poor care of women in pregnancy and childbirth (Hamel et al, 2015), socio-economic class (Jude, Chukwunedum, & Egbuna, 2019).…”

Determinants of child survival practice among caregivers in internally displaced persons' camps in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria

“…However, research has shown that in developing countries like Nigeria, the practice of many CSS components is poor resulting to higher rates of child mortality (Abimbola et al, 2016). Moreover, caregivers living in these unofficial IDP camps may also face barriers in carrying out CSS because they receive less attention and relief operations unlike the official camps in the northeastern region (Idowu et al, 2020). Literature on the practice of mothers to ensure under‐five survival, especially in relation to the insurgency in Nigeria, remains limited.…”

“…Literature on the practice of mothers to ensure under‐five survival, especially in relation to the insurgency in Nigeria, remains limited. For the most part, under‐fives have been neglected in these camps, resulting in unmet needs (Idowu et al, 2020). Hence, this study sought to examine the determinants of child survival practice among caregivers of under‐five children in IDP camps.…”