Linkage between nutritional status of children 6-59 months and some socio-demographic and economic characteristics of mothers in Malava sub-county, Kakamega County
Abstract
The world is currently battling the triple burden of malnutrition across all age groups
including children. In Kenya, household socio-demographic and economic
characteristics have been shown to contribute to malnutrition among children, but there
is little known about the magnitude of their contribution at the sub-county level. This
study aimed at determining the association between socio-demographic and economic
characteristics of mothers and the nutritional status of their children 6-59 months old.
This was a cross-sectional study conducted in November and December of 2021 in
Malava Sub-county, Kakamega County, Kenya. Data were collected from households
using semi-structured questionnaires administered to 344 randomly selected mothers
who had children aged 6-59 months. Nutritional status was determined using
anthropometric measurements translated to nutrition indicators using WHO Anthro
software. Association between the study variables was determined using Chi-square
test. About 53% of the mothers were aged < 25 years. Formal education of mothers was
low with 14.5% having no education at all and 46.8% having completed primary level
only. Poverty rate was high in the study area with 83.7% of the mothers being
unemployed and 77.9% earning less than Ksh. 5,000 (50 USD) per month. Only 14.5%
engaged in business as an economic activity. Malnutrition prevalence in Malava Subcounty was high with almost 21% of the children being stunted and 8.1% being
severely stunted. The prevalence of wasting and underweight were at 12.5% and 7.5%,
respectively. Significant associations were observed between the stunting and the age
of the mother (p=0.036) and education level (p=0.023). Education was also
significantly associated with wasting (p=0.008). Underweight was associated with
education level (p=0.014), average household monthly income (p=0.019) and the
household economic activity engagement (p=0.01). The study recommends a multisectoral collaboration in addressing the household demographic and economic
characteristics that may help in reducing the prevalence of malnutrition in Malava Subcounty, Kakamega County.
URI
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/view/246579http://ir-library.mmust.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2370
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