Malnutrition in children under five in Zimbabwe: effect of socioeconomic factors and disease
Madzingira, N.
Social Biology 42(3-4): 239-246
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-766X PMID: 8738549 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.1995.9988904Document Number: 296761
In order to investigate the factors which determine the nutritional status of children under age five years in Zimbabwe, data from the 1988 Demographic and Health Survey were submitted to multivariate analysis with logistic regression equations run for the dependent variables of height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height. The independent variable were mother's education, income, breast feeding status, weaning procedure, birth intervals, culture, water and sanitation, family size, rural/urban location, and other causes of malnutrition. A review of the literature includes the information that 29% of Zimbabwean children aged 3-60 months were short in relation to their age when compared with an international reference population. Analysis of the height-for-age measure showed a positive correlation between malnutrition and rural residence, birth status (infants in multiple births are more likely to be malnourished), lower birth weight, shorter birth interval, and suffering from diarrhea. Weight-for-age measures revealed the protective importance of maternal education, urban residence, higher birth weight, better diarrheal status, single birth, and better breast feeding status. Using weight-for-height as the dependent variable revealed duration of breast feeding as the sole significant variable. Thus, it appears that birth status, birth weight, diarrheal status, duration of breast feeding, and residence are the most significant determinants of malnutrition. It is concluded that a multi-disciplinary approach will be needed to combat the socioeconomic factors which determine malnutrition. Additional research, including arm measurement, is recommended to validate these results.