BMC Pediatrics (May 2022)

Determinants of severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6—23 months in bahir dar city public hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020: a case control study

  • Tigist Gebremaryam,
  • Desalegne Amare,
  • Tilksew Ayalew,
  • Agimasie Tigabu,
  • Tiruye Menshaw

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-022-03327-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Background Severe acute malnutrition is a major problem among developing countries and it is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in Ethiopia. The impact is more severe among children aged 6–23 months. Severely malnourished children are nine times more likely to die than healthy children. Identification of the determinants of severe acute malnutrition under the age of two years can significantly reduce the burden of child morbidity and mortality. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess determinants of severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6–23 months at Bahir Dar city public hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020. Methods Institutional-based unmatched case–control study was conducted among a total sample size of 201 children (67 cases and 134 controls) in Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Tibebe Ghion Specialized teaching hospital, from February 2020–March 2020. Children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition were considered as cases and children with other problems were control groups. The study participants were randomly selected from pediatrics units in the two specialized hospitals. Data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire through interviews and anthropometric measurements. The data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS software version 23 for analysis. Variables with (p 5 [(AOR = 3.89, 95% CI:(1.19, -12.70)], average perceived birth weight [(AOR = 0.048, 95% CI: 0.015, -0.148)] and large perceived birth weight [(AOR = 0.023, 95% CI:(0.002, -0.271)], introduction of complementary feeding before six months [(AOR = 6.21, 95% CI: (1.44, -26.76)] and dietary diversity score < 5 groups [(AOR = 9.20, 95% CI; 3.40, -19.83)were significant factors associated with severe acute malnutrition. Conclusion In this study, dietary diversity, family size, perceived birth weight, and initiation of complementary feeding were significantly associated with severe acute malnutrition. Therefore, emphasis should be given to improving infant and young child feeding practices, especially timely initiation of complementary feeding and dietary diversity.

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