| dc.description.abstract | Child care practices playa great role in the prevalence of
childhood malnutrition in the slum environments. In a cross sectional
study carried out in four purposively selected slum
kebeles of Addis Ababa, nutritional status of 753 children aged
6 to 36 months was measured and subsequently classified into
malnourished and well nourished group. Child feeding practices
of systematically selected mothers of the two groups of chi ldren
were compared with the view of identifying practices that
contribute to child nutrition insecurity in the area.
The study established that majority of the mothers in both groups
of households had initiated breast feeding (i.e 99.5% in
malnourished and 93.4% in the well nourished group (p>O.05), and
no significant difference was found either in the median or mean
duration of b r e a s t f e e d i n g . Significantly more mothers (23.9%)
in the malnourished households exclusively breast fed beyond four
months of age than those (7.3%) in the well nourished households
(p<O.05).
At 4-6 months of age, a significantly higher number of mothers
in well nourished households (58.8%) had started supplementation
than those in malnourished ho us e h o l d s (42.7%) (p<O.OOl). The mean
age of commencement of supplementation was significantly higher
in the malnourished group (4.9 ±2.9 months) than in the well
nourished group (4.2 ±2.4 months). Significantly more mothers
(p<O.01) in well nourished households (14.1%) fed enriched
porridge than those in the malnourished households (5.2%). The
mean feeding frequency was significant Ly higher in the well
nourished group (4 times) than in the malnourished gro~p (3.4
times) (p<O.Ol). More mothers in the malnourished group (29.6%)
practised bottle feeding of porridge than those in the well
nourished group (3.3%) (p<O.01).
Food withholding habits and the prevalence of immunization had
no significant influence on child nutrition. However. morbidity
status of the child's mother. health facility based management
of children with diarrhoea had a significant (p<O.05) bearing
on nutritional status of children. Also, stagnant water in the
compound, child waste inside the house, storage of cooked foods
for more than 24 hours (p<O.OOl), poor handling of food (p<O.OOl)
and drinking water (p<O.OOl), and serving food with dirty hands
(p<O.05) had a significant bearing on child nutrition.
It is concluded that exclusive breast feeding beyond four months,
feeding low quality diet with a frequency of less than four times
and giving porridge with feeding bottle and failure to take
children with diarrhoea to hospitals/clinics are the principal
risk factors associated with the nutritional status of children
in the study area. Moreover, the presence of stagnant water in
compounds and faecal matter inside the house, prolonged holding
of cooked foods, poor handling of drinking water and foods were
other areas of concern which had deleterious effects on the
nutritional well being of children. Demonstrative and sustained
nutrition and health education focusing on appropriate child
feeding,household hygiene and sanitation practices is recommended
together with initiation of income generating projects with a
view of empowerment of those families whose monthly income is
below 251 Birr. | en |
