Factors Associated with Undernutrition Among Children Aged Between 6-36 Months in Semien Bench District, Ethiopia

Background: Malnutrition is a term used to refer a condition of both excessive and under-nutrition. Even in the 21 c, it is yet among the major public health challenges that affect the health, growth, and development of millions of children across continents. Studies show that malnutrition during early childhood could result in devastating long-term effects such as poor school performance, weak immune system, and growth and development. Unfortunately, Ethiopia is among the developing countries hard hit by the problem of malnutrition (under-nutrition).

Objective: To assess the magnitude of stunting, wasting, and underweight and risk factors associated with them; among Children aged between 6- 36 months.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 700 study participants from April to May 2020. Nutritional status of children aged between 6-36 months was determined based on the WHO reference population with Z score ≤ -2 SD (HAZ, WHZ and WAZ) was looked upon for stunting, wasting and underweight accordingly. Data were collected through structured and measuring anthropometric of the eligible sample unit. The questionnaire data were first entered into Epi-data and later analyzed following binary and multiple logistic regression analysis procedures with the help of IBM SPSS 26. Adjusted odds ratios, with 95% CI of the association and statistical significance declared at P-values ≤ 0.05 in this study.

Results: In the present study, the response rate of the respondent was 100%. Factors significantly associated with undernutrition: stunting, Mothers who have no formal education (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI; 1.44-4.63), food insecure (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI; 1.23-2.9) and children had no feeding plate (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI; 1.07-2.19).

For Underweight: have not individual feeding plate (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI; 1.42-4.03), poor dietary diversity (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI; 1.23-2.69) and food insecurity (AOR = 4.24, 95% CI; 2.68-6.71).We have also identified age between 6-11 months (AOR = 6.81, 95% CI; 2.93-15.79), 12-23 months (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI; 1.03-5.06), food insecure (AOR = 10.34, 95% CI; 5.22-20.45) and poor dietary diversity (AOR = 5.58, 95% CI; 2.36-13.19) as risk factors associated with wasting.

Conclusion: This study relived that six variables significantly associate with undernutrition. These are: children have not his/her own feeding plate, household food insecurity, mother who had no formal education, poor dietary diversity and children aged between 6-11months and children age 6-23 months. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made. First, strategies and programs targeted towards the reduction and prevention of undernutrition among 6-36-month children should be made at all level to improve childhood nutritional status. Second, provide health information to families regarding the importance of separating children's feeding plate. Three, provide nutritional counselling about feeding practice and dietary diversity for mothers who have no formal education.