High Prevalence of Undernutrition among Children in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Objective. To assess undernutrition and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months in Gondar Town, northwest Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014. Multistage sampling method was used to select study participants. Structured interviewer administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were used. Binary logistic regression was fitted to identify associated factors. Results. The prevalences of wasting and stunting were 6.8% and 45.7%, respectively. Higher odds of wasting were observed among children whose fathers were daily laborers (AOR = 2.63), children who had eating problem (AOR = 2.96), and those who were not exclusively breast-fed for the first six months (AOR = 5.63). Similarly, higher odds of stunting were found among female children (AOR = 1.65), children who lived in households having four to six families (AOR = 2.14), and children who did not start breast-feeding within one hour of birth (AOR = 0.67). Conclusion. Childhood undernutrition was a significant problem. Child eating problem, paternal occupation, and exclusive breast-feeding were associated with wasting, whereas family size, child sex, and breast-feeding initiation time were associated with stunting. Therefore, strengthening of early initiation and exclusive breast-feeding, promoting healthcare seeking behavior, and designing social support programme for poor family are recommended to reduce undernutrition

Anemia severity among children aged 6–59 months in Gondar town, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Anemia is a public health problem affecting both developed and developing countries. Childhood anemia is associated with serious consequences including growth retardation, impaired motor and cognitive development, and increased morbidity and mortality. Hence, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with severity of anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia. Method A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Socio demographic and socioeconomic data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were taken as per WHO recommendation. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was measured using a portable HemoCue301 instrument (A Quest Diagnostic Company, Sweden). Mild anemia corresponds to a level of adjusted Hb of 10.0–10.9 g/dl; moderate anemia corresponds to a level of 7.0–9.9 g/dl, while severe anemia corresponds to a level less than 7.0 g/dl. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study participants. Both bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression were done, and proportional odds ratio (POR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported to show the strength of association. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result Out of the total of 707 children included in this study, more than half (53.5%) of them were male. The median age of children was 30 months. Two hundred two (28.6%) of children were anemic: 124(17.5%) were mildly anemic, 73(10.3%) were moderately anemic, and 5 (0.7%) were severely anemic. The young age of the child, low frequency of child complementary feeding per day, primary maternal educational status, unmarried maternal marital status, and home delivery were factors associated with severity of childhood anemia. Conclusion Anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Gondar Town was a moderate public health problem. Improving access to education, providing regular health education about childcare and child feeding practices, strengthening the socioeconomic support for single-parent families and conducting regular community-based screening are recommended to reduce childhood anemia