Abstract:
Background: Children living in orphanages tend to be neglected and may be malnourished and they are at risk of losing their full potential, with consequences to the child, nation and worldwide. This segment of the population seeks immediate support for their survival and growth. There is a significant knowledge gap in understanding the magnitude, determinants, and long-term health and socioeconomic impacts of undernutrition among orphans, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Objective: This study aimed to assess magnitude of Undernutrition and associated factors among orphan and vulnerable children Addis Ababa government orphanage center, Ethiopia, 2025.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 336 Orphan and vulnerable children in three organizations that gives support for orphan and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa from June 24 to July 23, 2025. All are included. An interviewer administered structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements was used to collect the data. The data were collected using Kobo tools, then exported to SPSS version 27 and WHO Anthro and Anthro plus, to analyze for z scores for further analysis. Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables, and frequency, percentages, and mean with standard deviation were done and the results were presented in a table. Multinomial logistic regression was used after setting statistical significance at α= 0.05for inferential statistics
Results: A total of 336 orphan and vulnerable children were participated with a response rate of 91%. Among the orphans, 62 (27.9 %),95% CI:22.1%-34.3% of them were found to be stunted, 31(14.4%),95% CI:9.7%-19.2% were wasted and 8 (3.6%),95% CI:1.6%-7% of the children were found to have underweight. Double orphan children (AOR =4.16;95% CI: 1.01, 17.35), Male orphans (AOR = 8.98; 95% CI: 1.07, 5.25), total stay at orphanage (AOR=2.66,95% CI: 2.32-5.35) were significantly associated with undernutrition.
Conclusion and recommendation: From the study undernutrition remains a significant public health concern among orphaned and vulnerable children receiving government support in Addis Ababa orphanages, based on the WHO classification of public health significance. Age, orphan status, sex of the child, duration of stay in the orphanage, and vaccination status were identified as significant predictors of undernutrition. Strengthen routine nutritional screening for orphan and vulnerable children in all government-supported institutions to enable early detection and management of stunting, wasting, and underweight
