Prevalence and Sociodemographic Determinants of Malnutrition among Under-Five Children in Rural Communities in Imo State, Nigeria

Chukwuma B Duru^1, , Uche R. Oluoha², Kelechi A. Uwakwe¹, Kelvin C. Diwe¹, Irene A. Merenu¹, Ifeadike O Chigozie³ and Anthony C. Iwu²

¹Department of Community Medicine, Imo State University, Owerri, Imo State

²Department of Community Medicine, Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu, Imo State

³Department of Community Medicine, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Nnewi Campus, Anambra State

Cite this paper

Chukwuma B Duru, Uche R. Oluoha, Kelechi A. Uwakwe, Kelvin C. Diwe, Irene A. Merenu, Ifeadike O Chigozie and Anthony C. Iwu. Prevalence and Sociodemographic Determinants of Malnutrition among Under-Five Children in Rural Communities in Imo State, Nigeria. American Journal of Public Health Research. 2015; 3(6):199-206. doi: 10.12691/AJPHR-3-6-1

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is a global issue with patterns and prevalence that vary significantly not only among different nations of the world but also in different region of a country. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among under-five children in households in rural communities in Imo State. The multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection of subjects. Data was collected by direct measurement of anthropometric parameters as well as the use of a semi-structured questionnaire to obtain caregivers’ information. Result: This mean age of the children was 21.0 ± 17.9 months. The mean weight, height, MUAC, and Head Circumference of the children were 10.6±4.4kg, 82.7±13.7cm, 20.2±3.6cm and 51.5±0.8cm respectively. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, underweight, wasting and stunting were, 9.8%, 28.6%, 23.6% and 28.1% respectively. Conclusion: Based on our findings, there is high prevalence of malnutrition among under-five children in the studied communities, thus there is need to institute appropriate control measures by the relevant authorities to reverse this problem owing to the fact that most of the causes of malnutrition are preventable.

Keywords

prevalence, factors, malnutrition, under-five, communities, Imo state

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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