Severe Acute Malnutrition Infants from Six Months to Thirty Six Months Old Todlers in Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia

Abstract

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a common condition that kills children and intellectually maims those who survive. Childhood under-nutrition still remains one of the most serious public health problems in many countries, more especially low- and middle-income countries and it has been reported that annually death of children in developing countries is about 1.7-3.6 million due to severe acute malnutrition (SAM). An observational, descriptive, ambispective, time prevalence hospital based cross-sectional study using a quantitative close ended design tool with sample including all infants from 6 months infants to 36 months old toddlers admitted to the paediatrics special care unit at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) and folders from record office. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The major risk factor of SAM is poor education, ethnic of the respondent, poor feeding habits such as poor breastfeeding and early introduction to water. There is a strong association between marital status and early introduction to water (X2; P=0.017), marital status and early introduction to house-hood feeding (X2; P<0.05) and number of feeding times and occupation (X2; P<0.05). It was concluded that prevention of SAM should be through promoting maternal formal education, on maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, significance of complementary feed and women empowerment. Policy making and health-care review should address all the risk factors of SAM.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a common condition that kills children and intellectually maims those who survive. Childhood under-nutrition still remains one of the most serious public health problems in many countries, more especially low- and middle-income countries and it has been reported that annually death of children in developing countries is about 1.7-3.6 million due to severe acute malnutrition (SAM). An observational, descriptive, ambispective, time prevalence hospital based cross-sectional study using a quantitative close ended design tool with sample including all infants from 6 months infants to 36 months old toddlers admitted to the paediatrics special care unit at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) and folders from record office. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The major risk factor of SAM is poor education, ethnic of the respondent, poor feeding habits such as poor breastfeeding and early introduction to water. There is a strong association between marital status and early introduction to water (X2; P=0.017), marital status and early introduction to house-hood feeding (X2; P<0.05) and number of feeding times and occupation (X2; P<0.05). It was concluded that prevention of SAM should be through promoting maternal formal education, on maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, significance of complementary feed and women empowerment. Policy making and health-care review should address all the risk factors of SAM.