STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF PREVALENCE MALNUTRITION ON CHILDREN ZERO TO FIVE YEARS

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF PREVALENCE MALNUTRITION ON CHILDREN ZERO TO FIVE YEARS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Malnutrition has become a household term among families with children aged zero to five. It is clear that children’s nutritional status is widely regarded as one of the well-known indicators of economic development in the region in question.

Most parents have shown a high level of neglect toward their children, owing to low family income, a lack of parental exposure, and poor implementation of infrastructure facilities such as a good hospital that sees children, pipe-borne water, and so on.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition accounts for 54% of child mortality worldwide, or approximately 1 million children. According to another WHO estimate, childhood underweight is responsible for approximately 35% of all deaths.

of all children under the age of five deaths worldwide. The main causes are unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or hygiene, social and economic factors, diseases, maternal factors, gender issues, and overall poverty (Bhutta et al, 2008). Weight-for-age, weight-for-height, and height-for-age indexes are commonly used to assess the nutritional status of children under the age of five (5). Nutritional disorders are defined as the common nutritional status of children under the age of five in each region, such as underweight, stunning, and wasting.

The evaluation of these criteria reflects the region’s overall health status. Malnutrition is a clinical syndrome in which an infant or child deviates from the normal pattern of growth, the growth curve is skewed downward, and the growth rate is slow.

Consistently falls under the 3% height and weight curve (Nakhshab M, Nasiri H, 2009).

Malnutrition is common in the first years of life when caloric intake is insufficient to meet the body’s metabolic needs. As a result, the nutrients stored in the tissues will be consumed in order to maintain life (Arezomaniance S, 2005). Protein-energy malnutrition in children is defined as measurements that are less than two standard deviations below the normal weight for age (underweight), height for age (stunting), and weight for height (wasting). Wasting is caused by recent weight loss, whereas stunting is caused by chronic weight loss.

Primary malnutrition in children is caused by socioeconomic factors as well as a lack of food. Secondary malnutrition is linked to diseases such as

Increased calorie requirement, calorie loss, and calorie intake reduction, or a combination of these three modes. It could be caused by a lack of food or poor nutrient absorption.

Prenatal malnutrition and early life growth patterns can alter metabolism and physiological patterns, affecting the risk of cardiovascular disease for the rest of one’s life. Undernourished children are more likely to be short as adults, have lower educational attainment and economic status, and give birth to smaller infants (Bhutta et al, 2008). Children are frequently malnourished during their rapid development, which can have long-term health consequences.

In 2008, the World Health Organization estimated that inadequate food intake was responsible for half of all cases of malnutrition in children under the age of five worldwide. Unsafe water, insufficient sanitation, or poor hygiene are all examples of poor hygiene. This link is frequently caused by repeated diarrhoea and intestinal worm infections as a result of poor sanitation. However, the relative contribution of diarrhea to malnutrition and, consequently, stunting remains debatable. Malnutrition affects the poorest quintile of children the most in almost every country. However, malnutrition disparities between children from poor and rich families vary by country, with studies revealing large gaps in Peru and very small gaps in Egypt. In 2000, child malnutrition rates were much higher in low-income countries (36%) than in middle-income countries (12%) and the United States (1 percent). In 2009, studies in Bangladesh discovered that the mother’s literacy, low household income, and higher The number of siblings, access to mass media, diet supplementation, unsanitary water, and sanitation are all linked to chronic and severe malnutrition in children.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

The increased mortality of children under the age of five (5) as a result of malnutrition prompted the study; approximately 50 percent of Nigerian citizens are low income earners, as evidenced by World Bank findings that, from 1970 to 2000, the number of malnourished children decreased by 20 percent in developing countries. Other issues discovered include a lack of iodine intake by pregnant mothers prior to childbirth, a lack of minerals, and a lack of calcium vitamins, which has been shown to be a major clog in the wheels of child growth and development. In most hospitals in Nigeria today, there is a lack of nutritional education to educate pregnant mothers on how to feed before childbirth.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The primary goal of the research is to conduct a statistical analysis of the prevalence of malnutrition among children aged zero to five years. Other specific goals of the research include:

To investigate the impact and causes of malnutrition in children aged 0 to 5 years.
To investigate the relationship between malnutrition and the rate of child mortality in Nigeria.
Identifying strategies for reducing malnutrition in children aged 0 to 5 years.
To investigate the impact of parental income on child care and malnutrition among children aged 0 to 5 years.
To propose solutions to the aforementioned issues

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study developed research questions in order to determine the aforementioned objectives. The following are the specific research questions:

What is the impact and causes of malnutrition in children aged 0 to 5 years?
What is the relationship between malnutrition and the Nigerian child mortality rate?
What are the strategies for reducing childhood malnutrition in children aged 0 to 5 years?
Is there any relationship between parental income and child care and malnutrition among children aged 0 to 5 years?

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: In Nigeria, there is no significant relationship between malnutrition and the child mortality rate.

H1: In Nigeria, there is a significant relationship between malnutrition and the child mortality rate.

H0: length for age and weight for age have no effect on the mortality rate of children aged 0 to 5 years due to malnutrition.

H1: length for age and weight for age influence the mortality rate of children aged 0 to 5 years due to malnutrition.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The study on the prevalence of malnutrition in children aged zero to five years will benefit all pregnant mothers in Nigeria by educating them on the impact of malnutrition on child mortality rates. The study will also teach them how to care for their child during the early stages of growth and development. The study will educate children aged zero to five years on the causes, prevalence, and strategies for reducing malnutrition. Finally, the study will contribute to the body of literature on the effect of personality trait on student academic performance, forming the empirical literature for future research in the field.

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study on the prevalence of childhood malnutrition From zero to five years, topics will include the causes and prevalence of childhood malnutrition. It will also cover strategies for reducing malnutrition in children aged zero to five.

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Inadequate funding tends to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

MALNUTRITION: a lack of proper nutrition caused by a lack of food, a lack of the right foods, or an inability to use the food that one does eat.

MORTALITY RATE: the rate of death, particularly on a large scale.

PREVALENCE: the fact or state of being widespread; commonness

REFERNCES

WHO Expert Committee Report on Physical Status: The Use and Interpretation of Anthropometry. World Health Organization Technical Report Series, 1995; 854:1-452. 2. Nakhshab M, Nasiri H. A study on the prevalence of malnutrition and its effective factors in children under the age of two in Sari township, 1999-2000. J Mazandaran Univ Med Sci, 12 (34):47-58, 2002. 3. S. Arezomaniance, Marllow infants nursing, 13th edition, Tehran: Boshra publication, pp291-4.

Taheri. F, Sharif. Gh, and Nasiri. Malnutrition prevalence in children aged 1 to 36 months admitted to Birjand’s Valiyy-e-Asr Hospital. Birjand University of Medical Sciences Journal 2006; 13(2):9-15. 5. Nojoomi N, Kafashi A, Najmabadi S. Frequency of malnutrition risk factors in children under the age of five in Karaj, 2001-2002. RJMS 2003; 10(33):123-30. World Bank, World Development Report, 1993. Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 36-42. World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO). [Internet] Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition. 2011 [updated on January 14, 2011]. [http://www.who.int/nutgrowthdb, accessed January 14, 2011]