Severe acute malnutrition and its associated factors among children under-five years: a facility-based cross-sectional s
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Severe acute malnutrition and its associated factors among children underfive years: a facility-based cross-sectional study Umesh Ghimire1* , Binod Kumar Aryal2, Ankush Kumar Gupta2 and Suman Sapkota2
Abstract Background: Despite consistent efforts to enhance child nutrition, poor nutritional status of children continues to be a major public health problem in Nepal. This study identified the predictors of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children aged 6 to 59 months in the two districts of Nepal. Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional study conducted among 6 to 59 months children admitted to the Outpatient Therapeutic Care Centers (OTCC). The nutritional status of children was assessed using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement. To determine which variables predict the occurrence of SAM, adjusted odds ratio was computed using multivariate logistic regression and p-value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Out of 398 children, 5.8% were severely malnourished and the higher percentage of female children were malnourished. Multivariate analysis showed that severe acute malnutrition was significantly associated with family size (five or more members) (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 3.96; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.23–12.71). Children from severely food insecure households (AOR: 4.04; 95% CI: 1.88–10.53) were four times more likely to be severely malnourished. Higher odds of SAM were found among younger age-group (AOR: 12.10; 95% CI: 2.06–71.09) children (0–12 vs. 24–59 months). Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that household size, household food access, and the child’s age were the major predictors of severe acute malnutrition. Engaging poor families in kitchen gardening to ensure household food access and nutritious diet to the children, along with health education and promotion to the mothers of young children are therefore recommended to reduce child undernutrition. Keywords: Severe acute malnutrition, Under-five children, Nutritional status, Mid-upper arm circumference, Nepal
Background Children’s right to have access to safe diet and adequate nutrition is undeniable, and fulfilment of their right is essential to attain the highest standard of health [1]. Children’s age under 59 months is the critical period for rapid physical growth as well as overall child development. Children suffer from various forms of undernutrition if the * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 New ERA, Kalopul, Rudramati Marga, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
nutritional requirement is compromised. Undernutrition among children is a significant contributor to the global disease burden and a leading cause of child mortality worldwide [2]. Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) refers to the condition that is identified by the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) measurement of less than 115 mm or weight for height (wasting) less than minus 3SD zscore below the median in 6 to 59 months children [3]. Cla
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