| dc.description.abstract | Children are at an increased risk of malnutrition, with many undernourished children being
highly susceptible to preventable premature death and morbidity. Insufficient dietary intake,
infections, food insecurity, and inadequate care are the main causes of child malnutrition.
These factors are sequentially influenced by caregivers’ characteristics. Despite this, the effect
of a caregiver’s characteristics on a child's nutrition status has not been exhaustively studied
in rural areas of Kenya. It is important to continuously examine the trends in the prevalence
of malnutrition for effective interventions. Regular updates on the prevalence of malnutrition
are crucial for appropriate interventions. In this study, the nutritional status of children was
evaluated alongside their association with caregivers’ characteristics. The study was based in
Migwani ward, Mwingi West Sub-County in Kitui County. The study was conducted between
October and December 2020 and involved 106 caregivers with their 106 children aged 36–42
months. The characteristics of the caregivers were determined by the use of a pretested study
questionnaire. To evaluate the nutritional status of children, the height and weight measures,
age, and sex of the child were taken and transferred into the WHO Anthro software, and zscores were derived. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to carry
out additional data analysis. Children's nutritional status and caregivers’ characteristics were
bivariate tested to determine the association.
In the present study, the prevalence of stunting was 33.0%, wasting was 15.1%, and
underweight was 20.8%. In this study, the caregivers that had lower income had more children
that were underweight (χ2 = 9.2 p = 0.02), stunted (χ2 = 10.4 p = 0.015) and wasted (χ2 = 16.9,
p<0.001) compared to those with higher incomes. More so, the caregivers that were younger
had more children that were wasted (χ2 = 20.04, p<0.001), stunted (χ2 = 9.65, p = 0.032) and
underweight (χ2 = 8.26, p = 0.041). Households that were headed by women had more
children that were stunted (p = 0.022), wasted (p = 0.041) and underweight (p = 0.003).
Similarly, respondents with lower education levels had more children that were stunted (χ2 =
14.02, p = 0.003), wasted (χ2 = 4.85, p = 0.037) and underweight (χ2 = 4.76, p = 0.045). In this
study, the caregiver’s occupation was significantly associated with children's stunting (χ2 =
12.23, p = 0.007) and underweight levels (χ2 = 6.12, p = 0.034). The caregiver’s occupation had
no influence on the children's wasting levels. The present study found that the marital status
of a caregiver did not influence a child's nutritional status. These study results affirm that
nutritional problems of stunting, wasting, and underweight among preschool children in Kitui
County require public health actions. That caregivers’ characteristics play a role in the
nutritional status of preschool children in Kitui County. Based on these study findings, priority
should be given to children's nutrition programs that incorporate the dynamics of caregivers'
characteristics. By doing this, such programs will be more effective. | en_US |
