Prevalence Of Wasting And Its Associated Factors Among Children Aged 6-59 Months In Dano District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2023

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