Abstract:
Background: Wasting is acute malnutrition that has harmful short-term consequences for
children and it is determined by inadequate diet. Ethiopia has made significant strides in
reducing child wasting, but high levels of wasting necessitate ongoing investment in
nutrition.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of wasting and its associated
factors among children aged 6-59 months in Dano District, West Shoa Zone,Oromia,
Ethiopia,2023
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dano district western
Ethiopia. Atotal of 356 Study participants were selected by using simple random sampling
technique.Data were collected using structured and pre-tested interviewer-adminsterede
questionnaires by face-to face interview. Anthropometric measurements of the children were
taken according to the World Health Organization‟s recommendation. Data were entered into
Epi Data version 3.1 and exported into Statistical Package for Social Science ( SPSS ) version
26 for statistical analysis. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequency and
percentage. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were also carried out to
assess the association of independent variables with the dependent variable and to control the
confounding effects of variables, respectively. Statistical significance was declared at a p
value < 0.05 and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval.
Result: In this study, out of 356 participants, a total of 342 participants participated, which
gives a response rate of 96.1%. In this study, the estimated prevalence of wasting was 18.1%
(95% CI: 14.2–22.6%) among children aged 6–59 months. History of childhood illness
(AOR=4.59; ( 95% CI: 2.22, 9.49), child not immunized for age ( AOR = 6.01; 95% CI: 1.75,
20.66), mothers age less than 20 years (AOR: 3.87;( 95% CI: 1.42, 10.52), and poor dietary
diversity (AOR: 3.44; (95% CI: 1.12, 10.54) were found to have statistically significant
associations with wasting.
Conclusion and recommendations: The study reveald a high prevalence of wasting, which
is a significant public health issue compared to the national prevalence. The history of
childhood illness, lack of immunization, young maternal age, and poor dietary diversity show
significant associations with wasting. Interventions should focus on enhancing household
dietary diversity and promoting education on childcare practices like immunization, dietary
diversity, and integrated management of common childhood illnesses
