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Risk Factors for Stunting Among Children Under Five Years of Age in the Eastern and Western Provinces of Rwanda: Analysis of Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey 2014/2015

24 Pages Posted: 7 May 2019

See all articles by Samuel Habimana

Samuel Habimana

University of Rwanda - Department of Community Health

Emmanuel Biracyaza

University of Rwanda - Department of Community Health

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Abstract

Background: Stunting remains one of the most common predictors of morbidity and mortality throughout low- and middle- income counties. Most deaths due to stunting are associated with inappropriate feeding practices that occur in the first five years of life. This study aimed to compare the risk factors for stunting in children under five years of age in the Eastern and Western provinces of Rwanda.

Method: A cross-sectional study using secondary data from the Rwanda Demographic Health Survey (RDHS) 2014/2015.

Results: Results indicated a significant association between maternal education and stunting (x^2=6.868; p=0.001), maternal age group (x^2=15.44; p=0.017), maternal occupation (x^2=30.012; p=0.000), wealth index (x^2=14.327; p=0.006), sex of child (x^2=2.91; p=0.008) and giving child fortified food (x^2=4.256; p=0.039). Sharing a toilet was found to be significant at (x^2=25.88; p=0.000). The multivariate analysis indicated the associated risk factors for stunting included sex (OR=1.08; p=0.008; 95% CI: 1.057-1.093 for males compared to females under five years), wealth index (OR=0.386(95% CI: 0.357-0.414) for the richest compared to the poorest) and breastfeeding (OR=0.02; p=0.013; 95%CI: 0.004-0.036) for breastfed compared to non-breastfed children).

Discussion: Maternal occupation and education, child's sex, family size, giving the child food in the three first days, type of cooking, access to electricity, residence, anemia level, diarrhea in 2 weeks before survey, marital status, wealth index, breastfeeding, who the child lives with and giving fortified food to the child were the associated risk factors of stunting. Sharing toilet facilities, sex of child, and religion were the risk determinants of stunting in the Eastern and Western Provinces of Rwanda.

Conclusion: Immediate and appropriate interventions targeted at community management of acute malnutrition and stunting are needed to manage the associated morbidity and mortality.

Funding: In this research, we don't have any funding from anywhere else or anyone else .It is only research interest on researchers themselves.

Declaration of Interest: In this study, there is no competing interest. It is only scientific interest of research to evaluate the stunting in these provinces in Rwanda

Ethical Approval: We used second data from Rwanda Demographic Health survey conducted 2014/2015. We did not meet with participants. Here, data collection had been approved by Rwanda National Ethics Committee before data collection.

Keywords: Stunting, risk factors, children, under five years, malnutrition, province

Suggested Citation

Habimana, Samuel and Biracyaza, Emmanuel, Risk Factors for Stunting Among Children Under Five Years of Age in the Eastern and Western Provinces of Rwanda: Analysis of Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey 2014/2015 (04/28/2019 07:33:14). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3379825 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3379825

Samuel Habimana (Contact Author)

University of Rwanda - Department of Community Health ( email )

Rwanda

Emmanuel Biracyaza

University of Rwanda - Department of Community Health

Rwanda

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