Socioeconomic related potentials on Malnutrition among Children in Qena Governorate

Abstract

Background: Childhood malnutrition is an increasing public health problem. Child growth is an important indicator of nutritional status and is a reflection of the socioeconomic status of the family and the social well-being of the community.Objectives: The study aimed to assess the socioeconomic-related risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of malnutrition among the under-five childrenPatients and methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted with under-five years’ old children in the Qena governorate using the cluster sampling method with an equal number of children in each cluster during the study period of one year with a complete evaluation of socio-demographic data, socioeconomic levels, maternal factors and child factors that may be related to malnutrition. Results: the current study revealed that malnutrition state was more common among the lower social class. Wasting was more common among children with family sizes>7 persons. Being Underweight was more common among children in rural areas and the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that children residing in the rural area had a three-time risk of developing underweight than those living in the urban area and children who received artificial feeding had higher odds of developing wasting than children who received breast feeding.Conclusion: Rural residency, lack of breastfeeding, large family size, and lower social class were risk factors for developing malnutrition in children.