Burden of Undernutrition and Its Associated Factors Among Children Aged 6-59 Months: Findings from 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) Data

Background: Despite numerous government nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions, undernutrition (e.g., underweight) remains the major public health concern among under-five-year-old children in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess underweight and associated factors among children in Ethiopia using 2016 EDHS data.

Method: The current study used 9,013 children under five years old. An ordinal logistic regression (e.g., proportional odds model) was applied to determine the associated risk factors of being underweight. The current study used SAS software version 9.4 at the 5% significance level.

Results: The prevalence of underweight was 25.3%. Variables such as children's sex, place of residence, whether the child is twin at birth, breastfeeding status, size of children at birth, childbirth order, employment status of mothers, parents' educational level, children's age groups, the incidence of diarrhea in the past two weeks, and baby fortified food were statistically associated with underweight among under-five age in years.

Conclusions: Underweight among under-five children is predicted by place of residence. In addition, there is a regional disparity of underweight among children. Therefore, further effort is needed to improve health education in children's welfare and health facilities to enhance patients' understanding of proper information and feeding.