Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research

Factors Associated with the Risk of Anemia and Underweight among under-Five Children in Ethiopia; Application of Bivariate Binary Logistic Regression Models

Abstract

Yalemwork Desta Dagnachew* and Awoke Seyoum Tegegne

Background: Anemia and underweight are public health problems affecting both developed and developing nations worldwide with a significant consequence of health and economic growth. Thus, this study aimed to identify factors affecting anemia and underweight in under five children in Ethiopia.

Method: This study was done using 2016 EDHS data considering a sample of 8,439 under-five children. The study was conducted across the country using the cross-sectional survey. Hemoglobin level <11 g/dl and Z-score below -2 SD were used to investigate anemia and underweight respectively.

Result: The prevalence of anemia and underweight in this study was 57.5% and 25.4% respectively. This study also revealed that the spatial distribution of anemia and underweight were random in Ethiopia with Moran’s index statistics -0.012288 and -0.025832 with corresponding pvalue of 0.956670 and 0.801798 respectively. In bivariate binary logistic regression analysis, variables such as children who had large size at birth (AOR=0.861, 95% CI: (0.510, 0.873)), Children from rich families were less likely to be anemic (AOR=0.690, 95% CI: (0.486, 0.957). Children from educated families were less likely to be anemic (AOR=0.802; 95% CI: (0.594, 0.949) and such children were also less likely to be underweight (AOR=0.661; 95% CI: (0.619, 0.898).

Conclusion: Child age, size of child at birth, birth type, fever, parent’s education, wealth index, and region were significant factors affected for severity of anemia and underweight status of under-five children in the study area. Health related education should be conducted for those households with anemic and underweight children.

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