Assessment of gender Differential in Magnitude and risk factors of Childhood Malnutrition in Menz Keya District North Shewa zone Amhara Regional State Ethiopia
Creators: name: Endazenaw, Getabalew
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2009

description: Background- Malnutrition remains one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children throughout the world. The nutritional status of infants and children under five years of age is of particular concern since the early years of life are crucial for optimal growth and development malnutrition has been responsible, directly or indirectly, for 60% of the 10.9 million deaths annually among children under five. Malnutrition is an underlying factor in over half of under-five child death in Ethiopia, and children with severe acute malnutrition face 30-50 percent chance of dying unless treated. Objective- to assess gender differential in the risk factors and magnitude of malnutrition among children of age 0-59 months in Menz Keya district North Shewa zone Amhara Regional state, Ethiopia. Methods- the study design was community based comparative cross-sectional quantitative study and supplemented qualitative (FGD) methods. A total of 746 children were selected using cluster sampling technique. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaire and including anthropometric measurements. The study variables include; socio-economic and demographic characteristics, child and maternal related variables and environmental health conditions. Data were entered and processed using EPi-info and SPSS for analysis. The NCHS reference population standard of WHO was utilized to convert height and weight measurements into Z-scores of the H/A, W/H and W/A indices considering age and sex of the children. Results-Stunting was found to be significantly higher in female children (36.7compared to 25.7%) among male children both in urban and rural areas. Among male children, age group of 6-11 and 48-59 months were found to be more affected by stunting. It was found that multiple determinant factors among operating at individual (mother age, education of the mother, immunization status, and weaning time) and house hold levels (household income, family size) are significant predictors of stunting. Wasting was found to be statistical significantly higher in male children than female children (14.7%) in urban and rural areas. children in the age group 48-59 months were more affected in both male and female. Education of the mother, household income, family size, immunization status and waste disposal area were found to be the important determinant factors for wasting. Underweight was slightly higher male children compared to female children (22% vs 20.1%). Educational status of the mother, duration of breast feeding, immunization status family size, household income, and domestic waste disposal areas were determinant factors for underweight. Conclusions and recommendations- The finding of this study showed that the prevalence of stunting was higher in female children in both urban and rural areas compared to male. Whereas wasting and underweight were more common in male children than female children regardless of their place of residence. Educational status of the mother and family monthly income were important determinant factors for chronic malnutrition for both male and female children. Empowering women to improve their education and income generation potential is recommended.