Prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among 6-59 months children in Tehsil Battagram, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To find out the prevalence and associated factors of undernutrition in a semi-rural setting. Method: The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehsil Battagram of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, in January and February 2020 after approval from the ethics review committee of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, China, and comprised children aged 6-59 months who had no physical or mental disability. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric data was analysed using the World Health Organisation Anthro software. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between dependent variables, like wasting, underweight and stunting, and independent variables , like socioeconomic, child, maternal and environmental characteristics. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Results: Of the 504 children, 257(51%) were girls and 247(49%) were boys. The largest group was aged 36-47 months 127(25.2%), while the smallest group was aged 6-11 months 56(11.1%). Overall, 94(18.7%) children were wasted, 167(33.1%) were underweight and 248(49.2%) were stunted. Children whose family income was high had low odds for being wasted (odds ratio: 0.59, 95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.71), underweight (odds ratio: 0.30, 95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.72) and stunted (odds ratio: 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.80). Similarly, those children who were exclusively breastfed had low odds of being wasted were (odds ratio: 0.45, 95% confidence interval: 0.32-0.53), underweight (odds ratio: 0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.42-0.78) and stunted (odds ratio: 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.51-0.97). ---Continue

Lived Reality of Retinopathy of Prematurity Eye Examinations: A Study Protocol for the Exploratory Qualitative Study With Whānau Māori

“…Research has shown that neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parents are concerned about the experiences of pain and their infants experience. Research has described that parents would like more information about painful procedures, how they could be involved in managing their infants pain and are concerned about the impact of pain on the parent-infant relationship (Ahmad et al, 2022; Franck et al, 2005). Parents would like to take an active role in pain management and there is evidence to support the importance of parental involvement in this (Palomaa et al, 2016; Skene et al, 2012; Ullsten et al, 2021).…”