Multilevel Regression Analysis of Risk Covariates Associated with Wasting Among Ethiopian Children
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Date
2024-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Wasting is defined as low weight-for-height. It often indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time. Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death unless treated properly. The overall aim of the study was to assess risk covariates associated with wasting among children in Ethiopia. The source of data is Ethiopia mini DHS data undertaken in 2019. The DHS program employed a multistage sampling method. A total of 5164 children under five from the nation were included in this study. Descriptive (weighted frequency table and percentage) and inferential (multilevel proportional odds model) statistical methods were employed. The descriptive results show that 92.75% of under-five children were normal, 6.06% were moderately wasted and 1.19% were severely wasted. The higher proportion of severe wasting was found in the Somali region, Harari region, among uneducated mothers, households with low income (poor and poorest), Muslim families and families with drink neither improved nor non-improved water. The results based on the proportional odds model indicate that there is a significant variation in wasting across community and household levels. The multilevel proportional odds model identified a child's sex, mother's education level, DBF, wealth index, antenatal care, source of drinking water and region of residence as significant risk covariates of wasting. We concluded that high prevalence of wasting is (over 7%) among children under five in Ethiopia, with concerningly high rates of severe wasting in specific groups. This suggests that interventions to address wasting in Ethiopia should be targeted towards these high-risk groups and consider both community-level and household-level risk covariates to reduce wasting among children in Ethiopia.
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Malnutrition, Wasting, and Multilevel