Stunting among children aged 6-59 months born to teenage mothers in Kabarole District, Tooro region, Uganda. A cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v7i3.2197Keywords:
Prevalence of stunting, Children aged 6-59 months, Teenage mothers, Kabarole districtAbstract
Background
The purpose of the study is to investigate stunting among children aged 6-59 months born to teenage mothers in Kabarole District, Tooro Region, Uganda, so as to find out the causes and risk factors associated with stunting.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in one of the sub-counties in the Rwenzori sub-region, Western Uganda. The study adopted a cross-sectional study design with quantitative data collection and analysis methods. A sample of 135 respondents was selected using Fisher's method of sample size determination.
Results
Majority of the respondents 80(59.3%) were aged 36-59, 40(29.6%) were below 35 months, 10(07.4%) were below 18 months, 5(3.7%) were under 9 months. The prevalence of stunting at 36.3% among children under 5 months. We found that marital status, those who were separated (aOR = 0.23, CI = 0.08 - 0.62, p = 0.004), mothers not practicing exclusive breast feeding (aOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 0.10-0.76, p = 0.012), age at which mothers start complimentary feeding (aOR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.49- 1.27, p=0.002) and mothers who were practicing formula feeding aOR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.49- 1.27, p=0.002) were associated with stunting. Lack of maternal education was 1.08 times more likely to cause a child under 5 years compared to the others (uOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.54-2.17; p=0.025).
Conclusions
The prevalence of stunting among children 6 - 59 months of age was high, underscoring the critical role of nutrition, maternal health, and the influence of dietary factors in determining children’s growth outcomes.
Recommendations
There is a need for comprehensive interventions addressing the factors to prevent stunting through integrating nutrition counselling and supplementation programs, implementing poverty reduction strategies, and supporting maternal education services.
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