Potential mediators of the link between wealth index and anthropometric indices of under-five children in Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundMalnutrition of under-five children has adverse effects on child's health and development, such as growth failure and muscle wasting. The household wealth index has a direct contribution to child malnutrition despite little attention being given to its indirect effect through other factors. This study aimed to identify the potential mediators of the link between wealth index and malnutrition.MethodsIn this study, a cross-sectional study design was implemented based on the data obtained from the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS), which consists of a total of 3,918 under-five children. Mediation analysis of structural equation (SEM) was implemented to determine and estimate the effects of potential mediators of the link between wealth index and under-five children malnutrition.ResultsAmong 3,918 under-five children involved in this study, 51.4% were male children and 20.2% were from urban areas. The place of delivery of the majority of mothers (56.1%) was at home, and the majority of children were from the poorest household (36.4%). The estimated effects of height-for-age of female children were higher (1.31:95% CI = 0.45, 0.200), indicating that female children had a lower likelihood of stunting than males. As compared to children in an urban area, children from rural areas were more likely to be stunted (−0.269; 95%CI = −0.388, −0.135). The estimated total indirect effects of wealth index on stunting and underweight was 0.69 (95% = 0.045, 0.094) and 0.036 (95% = 0.013, 0.054), respectively, and significant (p-value of <0.05).ConclusionEnvironmental, maternal, biological, and behavioral factors were the potential mediators of the link between the wealth index and the anthropometric indices. Besides, the total effects of the household wealth index had a significant effect on stunting, underweight, and wasting in which children from a household with low economic status were more likely to be malnourished.

Anthropometric failures and its predictors among under five children in Ethiopia: multilevel logistic regression model using 2019 Ethiopian demographic and health survey data

“…According to the current study, children from lower-class families are more likely than their counterparts to be impacted by the CIAF. This is consistent with earlier research done in many nations [ 42 , 43 , 52 ]. This could be the case because the wealthiest households can afford to buy different types and amounts of food for their kids, while poorer homes may have less access to health care services than wealthier ones.…”

“…The findings showed that female children had a lower risk of having CIAF than male children from a similar socioeconomic background. This study is consistent with previous studies [ 38 , 43 ], It could possibly be a factor in CIAF because of the biological growth and vulnerability of men and the fact that the percentage of male preterm births is higher than that of female preterm births [ 44 ].…”

Analysis of Malnutrition among Children under Five Years across Contrasting Agroecosystems of Northwest Ethiopia: Application of Structural Equation Modeling

“…The effect of household wealth was fully mediated, and the hypothesis in the conceptual structural model is supported. This finding is supported by other studies [ 11 , 12 , 22 , 32 , 33 , 54 , 65 , 66 , 67 ].…”

Co-existence of maternal overweight/obesity, child undernutrition, and anaemia among mother-child pairs in Ethiopia

“…This result is consistent with that of Ahinkorah et al, [4] that reported TBM to be less likely to occur among female compared to male children. Several studies have shown that being a female child is strongly tied to lower odds of undernourishment in Ethiopia [36][37][38][39][40][41].…”