Determinants of stunting among children 2 years of age and below in Rutsiro District,Rwanda

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic malnutrition or stunting contributes substantially to the overall global burden of disease in children under five years of age. Stunting is associated with decreased neurodevelopment, irreversible cognitive deficits, limited educational achievement and low economic productivity as an adult. Low and middle-income countries bear the greatest burden of stunted children worldwide representing 90% of the total. In Rwanda, 38% of children under 5 years of age were stunted in 2015. Identifying the determinants of childhood stunting is essential to the development of effective preventative strategies. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of stunting among children two-years of age and younger in Rutsiro District, Rwanda. Methods: A secondary analysis of data collected in a study entitled “Examining the Effects of Environmental Enteropathy on Stunting in Children under-5- years of age in Rutsiro, Rwanda (2016) was used. The sample was a subset of 2-year-old children and under enrolled in the original study. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regressions were used to determine association between study variables and stunting. Results: Findings indicated that children were at increased risk of stunting if they lived in households with severe hunger (OR: .45, p ≤ .001); lower wealth category (OR: 3.4, p ≤ .001); used water from an unprotected source (OR: 3.7, p ≤ .001); used untreated drinking water (OR: 2.5, p ≤ .001); had unimproved toilette (OR: 19.2, p ≤ .001); practiced unsafe stool disposal (OR: 1.5, p < .001); child did not receiving minimum dietary diversity (OR: 1.50, p ≤ .023); and child not receiving micronutrients powder (OR: 1.9, p ≤ .001). v Conclusion: Stunting among children 2-years of age and under is a complex public health problem in Rutsiro District, Rwanda. Improvement in sanitation, hygiene, complimentary feeding and nutritional supplements are needed to decrease stunting and therefore morbidity and mortality in children.