Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence of Stunting among Children under Five in Pediatric Hospital Al-Hasahisa, Al Jazirah State, Sudan
Shaheeda Mohammed Alobid, Sara El kheir Mustafa ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This cross-sectional study looked at stunting among 100 children under five (46 girls, 54 boys) at a pediatric hospital in Al-Hasahisa, Al Jazirah State, Sudan. Data came from a questionnaire and from measurements of height/length for age and mid-upper arm circumference. About 78% of the children were stunted, and nearly half were severely stunted. Stunting was linked with mother's education, household income and breastfeeding. Infections such as diarrhoea, malaria and chest infections were common among the children.
Key points
- 78% of the children were stunted: 19% mild, 11% moderate and 48% severe.
- 39% of the children had severe malnutrition and 18% had moderate malnutrition.
- Stunting was significantly associated with mother's education (P<0.05), income level (P=0.004) and breastfeeding (P=0.003).
- 52% of fathers and 45% of mothers were illiterate.
- Common illnesses were chest infections (69%), diarrhoeal diseases (68%), malaria (52%), anaemia (27%) and parasitic infections (17%).
Limitations
The sample is small (100 children) and was drawn from patients at one hospital, so it cannot show the prevalence of stunting among all children in the state or in Sudan. The cross-sectional design shows associations only, not causes, and the abstract reports some figures that are unclear or inconsistent (for example the income categories and the stunting breakdown by sex).
Abstract
A cross-sectional descriptive design study was conducted in the pediatric hospital in Al-Hasahisa-Algazera state -Sudan, to ascertain the prevalence of stunting in children under five years old. There are 100 patients in the samples (46 girls and 54 males). The questionnaire used to collect the study's primary data includes questions about participant content, sociodemographics, housing status, health, and nutrition. To estimate the patient's percentage of stunting, anthropometric measures, including height/length for age and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), were also obtained. The data showed that most of the children were raised in nuclear homes. A significant correlation (P value <0.05) was seen between stunting and mother education. The parents' educational attainment showed that a sizable percentage of fathers (52%) and mothers (45%) were illiterate. According to the findings, 82% of mothers were housewives, and 75% of fathers were employed. This finding demonstrated a significant (P value 0.004) relationship between income level and stunting, with weak income (22%), moderate-income (78%), and no income level. Furthermore, 36% of completed breastfeeders and 37% of non-completers showed a highly significant (P value 0.003) correlation between breastfeeding and stunting. During the course of the study, diarrheal diseases affected 68% of the children, while anemia (27%), malaria (52%), parasitic infections (17%), and chest infections (69%)were the most common conditions. 39% of the kids had severe malnutrition, and 18% had moderate malnutrition. The bulk of them, 78%, were stunted, with the remaining 19% mild, 11% moderate, and 48% severely stunted. According to the report, 35% of stunted children were female, and 43% of stunted children were male.