Prevalence and determinants of pre-adolescent (5–14 years) acute and chronic undernutrition in Lay Armachiho District, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background In Ethiopia it is documented that 16% of all grade repetitions in primary school and 33.9% childhood deaths are associated with undernutrition. School aged children are often omitted from public health research. Thus, the present study was carried out to find out the prevalence and determinants of pre-adolescent (5–14 years) acute and chronic undernutrition in Lay Armachiho District. Methods In this community based cross-sectional study, anthropometrics, individual and household characteristics data were collected from December, 2016 to January, 2017. A total of 848 school aged children (5–14 years) were included in the study. Z-scores for height-for-age (HAZ) and body-mass-index-for-age (BAZ) were calculated to illustrate stunting (chronic undernutrition) and thinness (acute undernutrition), respectively with Anthro Plus software version 1.0.4 using the WHO 2007 growth reference standard. Finally, backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with stunting and thinness, individually. Results The overall prevalence of stunting and thinness was 35.5 and 9.9%, respectively. The multivariable analysis showed that child age 10–14 years [AOR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.12] and lack of availability of a latrine at home [AOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.20)] were associated with increased likelihood of stunting. Nevertheless, child’s hand washing practice before eating [AOR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.91] was protective against stunting. Children who consumed diversified foods [AOR = 0.64; 95% CI 0.39, 0.97] were protected from thinness. Conclusion In Lay Armachiho district, one-third and one in every ten of school aged children were stunted and thin, respectively. Children age 10–14 years, lack of availability of a latrine at home and hand washing practices before eating were associated with stunting, while only dietary diversity was associated with thinness. Ensuring consistent hand washing practices before eating and ensuring availability of latrine should be improved in the region, which can assist in effectively tackling undernutrition. Finally, dietary diversification should be enhanced to rectify burden of acute undernutrition.

Under-nutrition and its determinants among school-aged children in northwest Ethiopia

“…In this study, children without hand-washing facilities were twice more likely to be stunted than those with hand-washing facilities. This finding is consistent with a study done in Dangila Town [ 15 ], and Lay Armachiho District [ 20 ], Northwestern Ethiopia.…”

“…But the prevalence was less than in the study conducted in Humbo district, Southern Ethiopia [ [ 12 ]], Gondar town, Northwest, Ethiopia [ [ 21 ]], and East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Regional State Ethiopia [ [ 20 ]] where 57%, 46.1%, and 48.1% of the study subjects were stunted, respectively. It is also lower than other studies conducted in other countries including Tea Garden Workers of Assam 47.4% [ 34 ] and Dhaka City, Bangladesh where 60% [ 35 ] were stunted.…”

“…A 24-hour recall method was used to estimate the feeding practice of children and the collected dietary information was transferred to a dietary diversity score tool that consisted of nine food groups. Adequate dietary diversity was defined as children who received food made from four or more food groups in the previous 24 h [ 20 ].…”

Undernutrition among Institutionalized School-age Orphans in Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study

“…Given orphan children are at highest risk of undernutrition risking their health and development, understanding the level and risk factors of malnutrition among this segment of population is an initial step for averting the problem. 12,13 Although several studies on nutritional status of 2 Nutrition and Metabolic Insights under-5 children in Ethiopia exists, [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] little is known about orphan children in Ethiopia in general and eastern Ethiopia in particular. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and its associated factors among institutionalized school-age orphans in Harari Regional State, eastern Ethiopia.…”

Nutritional status of school-age children and adolescents in eastern and southern Africa: A scoping review

“…Research from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa (SA), Malawi and Tanzania observed thinness prevalence rates between 11.0 -36.8%, amongst 10 -19-yearolds 9 -24 . Data from Madagascar, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia reported thinness prevalence rates of 3.3 -14.9 % in younger adolescents [25][26][27][28][29][30] . Research from Madagascar further reported that 4.8 % of its adolescent population suffered from concurrent thinness, stunting and underweight Two studies presented data on the change in thinness prevalence over time, with contrasting results.…”