Magnitude of under-nutrition among under five children in Ethiopia based on 2019 Mini-Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey: Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM)

INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a major public health problem that is experienced by many developing countries, like Ethiopia. Though some studies were conducted to identify the magnitude and determinants of acute malnutrition among under-five children, there is a lack of evidence that is representative of all children in Ethiopia. Hence, this national-level data could be representative of all targets and provide us with updated information on the nation-wide magnitude of nutritional status among children under the age of five in Ethiopia. METHODS: This study used data from the 2019 Mini-Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Children aged 0–59 months with anthropometry data were included. Data processing and analysis were performed using STATA 15 software. Cross-tabulations and summary statistics were done to describe the study population. Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were used to estimate the association between nutritional status and explanatory variables and were expressed as an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Model comparison was done based on Akaike and Bayesian information criteria (AIC and BIC). RESULTS: The magnitude of stunting was 37.71% [95%CI: 36.35–39.08], while the magnitude of wasting was 7.14% [95%CI: 6.52–7.91]. Living in Tigray [AOR = 2.90, 95%CI: 2.05–4.11], Amhara [AOR = 1.98, 95%CI: 1.41–2.79], having a child aged 24–35 [AOR = 3.79, 95%CI: 3.07–4.68], and being a rural resident were all significantly associated with stunting. Being born in Tigray [AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.02–3.01], being born into the richest family [AOR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.27–0.80], and being born from mothers aged 25–29 [AOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.55–0.96] were all significantly associated with wasting. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of stunting and wasting is relatively high in Ethiopia. Region, place of residence, and age of the child were significantly associated with stunting, and region, wealth index, and age of the child were significantly associated with wasting. This result provides a clue to give due consideration to under-five children to mitigate the risks of malnutrition through various techniques.