Undernutrition and associated factors among children under 2 years of age in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

Background: Undernutrition among children is a primary concern in sub-Saharan African countries such as Ethiopia. The objective of this paper is to measure the magnitude of undernutrition and associated factors among children under 2 years of age in the Jimma Zone of Southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study with stratified multistage sampling was conducted. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted using SPSS 20.0 for Windows. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to measure the strength of the association between dependent and associated variables at a p value <0.05. Results: Among the study participants, 142 (25.4%) were stunted, 73 (13.1%) were underweight, and 54 (9.7%) were wasted. Older child age [AOR = 1.1, 95% CI (1.1, 1.2)], male sex [AOR = 2.601, 95% CI (1.681, 4.025)], and residing in an urban area [AOR = 0.526, 95% CI (0.323, 0.857)] were significantly associated with stunting. Independent predictors of wasting were younger child age [AOR = 0.894, 95% CI (0.833, 0.96)], living in a lowland area [AOR = 3.3, 95% CI (1.4, 8.1)], and living a in poor household [AOR = 6.2, 95% CI (2.2, 17.7)]. Underweight was significantly associated with male sex [AOR = 2.09, 95% CI (1.179, 3.703)], delayed initiation of breastfeeding [AOR = 2.1, 95% CI (1.0, 4.2)], and living in a poor household [AOR = 2.2, 95% CI (1.0, 4.6)]. Conclusions: Child malnutrition was found to be a moderate public health problem in the study area. Urban dwellers had higher levels of undernutrition than rural dwellers. Children living in lowlands had higher undernutrition than those living in highland areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]