PREVALENCE OF UNDERNUTRITION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN JIMMA TOWN, SOUTH WEST ETHIOPIA

Undernutrition is a major public health problem disproportionately high in the developing world. In Ethiopia, child undernutrition remained a key public health problem despite lots of interventions. According to 2016 EDHS, 38% of children under age 5 are stunted; 10% are wasted, and 24% are underweight. Data specific to the nutritional status of preschool children in Jimma zone as well as the country is limited. The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among preschool children in Jimma town. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 408 preschool children 36-59 months aged in Jimma town from March 1-April 15/2018. Systematic sampling techniques were used in selecting the study participants. Data were exported from EPI data version 4.1 to SPSS version 20 for statistical analysis. Anthropometric data was analyzed by WHO Anthro (2006) and principal component analysis was done to generate house hold wealth index. Both descriptive and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify independent predictors of nutritional status. Finally, variables with a p-value <0.05 was statistically significant. The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting was about 21.8%, 15.2%, and 17.2%, respectively. This study showed that children from food-insecure households were 3.7 times stunted [AOR=3.731; (95% CI= 2.037-6.836)]; similarly, children whose mothers had no formal education were 3.9 times stunted [AOR= 3.98; (95% CI=1.206-13.127)]. In addition, children who share food from the same plate were 2.2 times stunted than their counterparts [AOR= 2. 228;(95%CI= 1.251-3.971)] and children who fed one to two times per day were 2.8 times more likely to be stunted as compared to those who fed four to five times per day [AOR= 2.82 (95% CI= 1.251- 3.971)]. Furthermore, children from low socioeconomic status were 3.4 times wasted as compared to those children from high socioeconomic households [AOR = 3.453 (95%CI =1.255-9.510)], children from family size of five and above were 3 times wasted than those children from family size less than five [AOR =3.090 (95% CI= 1.198-7.972)]. There existed a substantial level of stunting and wasting among preschool children. Maternal education, feeding on the same plate, frequency of feeding per day and household food security status was associated with stunting, while wasting was associated with family size, wealth index, age of mother and fever during the past 2 weeks.