Incidence of chronic malnutrition and associated factors in a cohort of children under 5 years of age A multicenter observational study

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic malnutrition is a problem that is difficult to eradicate with significant repercussions on the child population. In Ecuador, 1 in 5 children under five have chronic malnutrition. This trial aimed to determine the incidence and factors associated with the development of chronic malnutrition in a cohort of children under five years of age during a one-year follow-up period in the province of Chimborazo, 2018-2019.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with a 2018-2019 follow-up. The population consisted of 1,228 children, from which a sample of 138 children was taken. Variables such as age, gender, geographic location, socioeconomic level, access to health services, essential services and land, feeding practices, anthropometry, chronic malnutrition, mother's height, infections, and parasitosis were taken into account. The Relative Risk (RR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated using generalized linear models (binomial family).

Results: The incidence of chronic malnutrition was 20.3%. The associated factors were: difficulty in accessing health services [RR: 4.87; 95% CI: 1.89-12.55]; and EBF <6 months [RR: 3.44, 95% CI: 2.14-5.55].

Conclusions: The incidence of chronic malnutrition in children under five years of age in the Chimborazo province is high; therefore, interventions are needed to guarantee access to health services and nutritional education to eliminate this health problem.