ArticleThe Pan African medical journal2026
Prevalence and correlates of malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months in the rural areas of Embu County, Kenya: a cross-sectional study.
Article in The Pan African medical journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: childhood malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in developing countries, with poorly understood sustaining factors. This study assessed the nutritional status and identified factors associated with malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months in the rural areas of Embu County, Kenya. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 388 children aged 6-59 months from 330 households between December 2023 and January 2024. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Anthropometric measurements were taken from the children, converted into height for age (HAZ), weight for age (WAZ), and weight for height (WHZ) Z scores, and compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) standard measurements to assess the nutritional status. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with the various malnutrition indicators. Results: the overall prevalence of malnutrition was 49.7%, with undernutrition being 40.5% and overnutrition 15.7%. For stunting, it was 30.4%, underweight 14.4%, wasting 13.7%, and overweight/obese 15.7%. In addition, the prevalence of coexisting malnutrition ranged from 3.6% to 6.7%. The overall malnutrition prevalence differed by study sites and was also high among the partially immunized children in comparison with fully immunized children (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.03 - 2.72). Overnutrition was significantly associated with a child´s immunization status, household food insecurity, and the caregiver's time for child food preparation. Child´s age, gender, birthweight, anthelmintic drug administration, and child´s food allocation practices were associated with underweight. Predictors of overweight/obese included immunization status, birth weight, and household food insecurity status. Children from severely food-insecure households were more likely to be overweight/obese (AOR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.07-5.81) than those from food-secure households. Stunting was associated with child´s food allocation practice. Conclusion: the high burden of malnutrition, the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition suggest the existence of diverse drivers within the same context. Tailored multicomponent interventions targeting different contextual levels may reduce the malnutrition burden in the study area.
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