Determinants of acute malnutrition among 6 to 59-months children in public health facilities

Summary: Background: Acute malnutrition is a nutritional insufficiency resulting from either inadequate energy or protein intake. It is categorized into severe acute malnutrition and moderate acute malnutrition. Globally, acute malnutrition is still a prevalent public health issue. Objective: To identify determinants of acute malnutrition among 6 to 59-month-old children in public health facilities. Methods and materials: A hospital-based, unmatched case-control study was conducted from 1st March to 30th April 2023. Three hundred ninety (130 cases and 260 controls) participants were included in the study. Data was collected using pretested, semi-structured questionnaires by using Kobo Collect. The analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Both bi-variable and multivariable logistic regressions were done. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to determine levels of significance. All variables with a p-value less than 0.05 were declared as determinants of acute malnutrition. Results: In this study, estimated average family income, 1001–5000 Ethiopian birr (AOR=3.32, 95%CI=1.27, 8.72), 5001–10000 Ethiopian birr (AOR=3.82, 95%CI=1.56, 9.36), family size ≥5 (AOR=2.33, 95%CI=1.33, 4.084), private employee (AOR=4.62, 95%CI=2.18, 9.76), government employee (AOR=3.77, 95%CI=1.69, 8.42), non-governmental organization employee (AOR= 17.14, 95%CI=2.53, 16.27), food insecurity (AOR=1.46, 95%CI=1.08,1.97), bottle-feeding (AOR=2.64, 95%CI=1.22,5.68), and lack of latrines (AOR=3.30, 95%CI=1.04, 10.49) were identified as determinants of acute malnutrition. Conclusion: Estimated average family income, family size, lack of latrine, maternal or caregiver occupation, food security status, and bottle feeding were all predictors of acute malnutrition in this study. Promoting exclusive breastfeeding, raising awareness about the health issues of bottle-feeding and open defecation, improving access to clean water and sanitation, strengthening healthcare systems, and encouraging collaboration among agencies can effectively address acute malnutrition.