[pronut-hiv] Factors affecting prevalence of malnutrition among children under three

["ProNut-HIV" <pronut-hiv@healthnet.org>]

Factors affecting prevalence of malnutrition among children under three
years of age in Botswana
Salah E.O. Mahgoub, Maria Nnyepi, Theodore Bandeke
http://www.ajfand.net/Issue-X-files/pdfs/AJFANDvol6no1PRA5.pdf

ABSTRACT
Malnutrition affects physical growth, morbidity, mortality, cognitive
development, reproduction, and physical work capacity, and it
consequently impacts on human performance, health and survival. It is an
underlying factor in many diseases for both children and adults, and is
particularly prevalent in developing countries,where it affects one out
of every 3 preschool-age children. A well-nourished child is one whose
weight and height measurements compare very well with the
standard normal distribution of heights and weights of healthy children
of the same age and sex. Factors that contribute to malnutrition are
many and varied.

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the level of
malnutrition and the impact of some socio-economic and demographic
factors of households on the nutritional status of children under 3
years of age in Botswana. Factors included:
the number of children under 3 years of age in the family, occupation
of the parents, marital status, family income, parental education,
maternal nutritional knowledge, residence location (urban or rural),
gender, and breastfeeding practices. 

The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey using a structured
questionnaire and measurements of weight and height. Four hundred
households and mothers of children under three, representing the 23
Health Regions of Botswana, participated in the study. Reference
standards used were those of the National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS). EPI Info software (version 5) was
used for data entry and analysis.

 The results show that the level of wasting, stunting, and underweight
in children under three years of age was 5.5 %, 38.7 %, and 15.6 %
respectively. Malnutrition was significantly (p < 0.01) higher among
boys than among girls. Underweight was less prevalent among children
whose parents worked in the agricultural sector than among children
whose parents were involved in informal business. Children brought up by
single parents suffered from underweight to a significantly (p < 0.01)
higher level than children living with both parents. The prevalence of
underweight decreased significantly (p < 0.01) as family income
increased. The higher the level of the mother's education, the lower
the level of child underweight observed. Breastfeeding was found to
reduce the occurrence of underweight among children. The study findings
imply
that efforts for redressing child undernutrition issues in Botswana
should focus on factors associated with development outcomes such as
maternal income, maternal education, and the creation of employment or
economic engagements that do not compromise important child care
practices such as breastfeeding.

Key Words: Child Malnutrition, Socio-economic Factors, Breastfeeding,
Botswana,Pre-school Children