Determinants of malnutrition of under-five children among rural households in the southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Malnutrition has been attributed to many deaths among under-five children in most of the developing countries including Nigeria. Understanding the determinants of malnutrition can provide insights in designing interventions for reducing the high rates of child malnutrition. This study focused on what determines the malnutrition of under-five children among rural households in the southwest, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 395 households that had 487 under-five children. Data were collected on child’s, mother’s, household’s and community characteristics using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Information on the child’s nutrition status was obtained using Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logit model with STATA 14 statistical package. The results revealed that the average age of under-five children was about 25 months and over 50% of them are girls with a malnutrition rate of 44.0%. The child’s sex, the child’s birth interval, cultivated farm size, mother’s education, water source, and distance to nearest health center significantly determined the child’s malnutrition in rural areas of southwest Nigeria. Given the findings of this research, it is suggested that; mothers should be advised to use contraceptives for child spacing; farmers should be enlightened on the need to implement modern farming practices that lead to optimum yield per land cultivated rather than increasing the size of cultivated farmland; there should be an improvement on women’s education as well as a potable water source; and health care facilities close to respondents’ residence should be provided.