Nutritional status of children under five years of age in Bahirdar, Ethiopia: from a human rights perspective

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Bahirdar Town of the Amhara National Regional State in north-west Ethiopia. A total of 284 children aged 0-59 months were studied. The objective of the study was to compare the nutritional status of this group of children of the Arnhara and Woito ethnic groups living in the town of Bahirdar from a human rights perspective and to determine the association between human rights issues and nutritional status of children. For the purpose of the study, two Kebele administrations (Kebele 13 and 16) and eight villages in the two Kebeles were included. The selection of the Kebeles was done purposively because the Woito people live in the two Kebeles only. Proportionate sampling was used to select households from each ethnic group due to the fact that the number of households of each ethnic group living in each of the villages was different. Random sampling was carried out to select individual households that had children under-five years of age within each ethnic group. The prevalence of malnutrition was established using the reference values recommended by WHO. The result of the study showed that the overall prevalence of malnutrition was very high among the study children with wasting, underweight and stunting being 14.1, 35.9 and 44.4 percent respectively. The prevalence of malnutrition was higher among the Woito children as compared to the prevalence among the Arnhara children. The difference in the prevalence of wasting between Arr-.h:na and Woito children was not statistically significant (X! = 1.862 and p>0.050), but that of underweight and stunting between the two groups of children was statistically significant with the respective X2 values of 44.610 and 30.186 and p<O.OOlfor both. Literacy of household heads ami mothers, ethnic group. wealth status of households, monthly income, occupation or household heads and mother, adequacy of food, method of reeding solic' rood. treatment or leftover I\)(HI, duration of exclusive ami total breastfeeding, immunization. sickness or the child, type of disease the child had, ability of obtaining prescribed drugs. means of disposing child faeces, knowledge or human rights and understanding of the right to food and health were established to have significant association with nutritional status of the study children. This situation led to the decision to reject the hypothesis "there is no association between factors in human rights and nutritional status of the study children. The results of this study show that a significant number of study children were denied their rights to food, health and care. Violations of the rights of children identified in the study Amhara and Woito households were early provison of complementary food before the age or lour months in the Amhara households; too long exclusive breastfeeding (lute provision of complementary foods) after the age of six months in both communities; denying the right to immunization; poor access to health facilities (medication) impaired by lack or economic capacity in the two communities; and poor hygiene and sanitation practices. In order to improve the situation or the study children, this study recommends that the government together with households or the two communities (including other duty bearers) should identify and strengthen the existing community based institutions that can be used as an entry point to promote and advocate the issue of human rights, in general, and that 0r the rights 0f Children, in particular. in both communities; assess the capacity of its existing structures and organizations and civil societies that are working in the men of community development and strengthen the weak part or them for better understanding of the rights of the child, in particular, of the communities, in general and to enable them adress problems related to food and nutrition in the study area; develop legal framework and implementation mechanisms which clearly show the obligations of every duty bearer to respect, protect and fulfil the food and nutrition rights of children in the study area in particular and in the countrty in general; create access to income generation activities/projects for the economically disadvantaged people in the two communities; and create/develop awareness in the households of the two communities about their duties and rights to respect, protect and fulfil the nutrition, health and care rights of their children