Indicators of Malnutrition in Under 5 Pakistani Children: A DHS Data Secondary Analysis

Objective: To assess the rates of stunting, wasting and underweight in under 5 Pakistani children and identify their associated indicators. Methodology: Data was retrieved from DHS program website for sub-analysis. The outcome variables were constructed according to WHO standards for malnutrition indicators. The three study outcomes of stunting, wasting and underweight were defined on the basis of -2 SD levels of the standard corresponding Z-scores for age of children. STATA 10.0 software was used for measurements of final dataset of 3071 children. Results: High prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight (45.1%, 10.4% and 26.7% respectively) was identified in this study. Maternal and fathers secondary or above education, health facility delivery, cesarean section and rich SES children have less odds of becoming stunted. Whereas children of older mothers, child age above 2 years, small birth size, 5 or above birth order, rural residence with no toilet facility had greater odds to develop stunting. Similar characteristics of children with underweight were identified; however, very few indicators for wasting were identified. Conclusion: A very high number of under 5 Pakistani children are malnourished. Health budget should be increased and new facilities for educating and counseling patients are required to prevent malnutrition.

Author(s): Saleem Abbasi, Hana Mahmood, Atteaya Zaman, Benish Farooq, Ahsan Malik and Zarmeena Saga

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