Determinants of nutritional status among children under age 5 in mainland Tanzania

Abstract

Although the problem of malnutrition affects the entire population, children are more vulnerable because it prevents their physical growth, lower their intellectual quotient, cause deficiency of social skills and susceptibility of diseases. The importance of reducing malnutrition has been acknowledged in the MDGs as well and constitutes one of the prime targets of development processes globally. From this perspective, this project aimed to explore the determinants of nutritional status among under-five children in Mainland Tanzania. A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted to record height and weight measurements from 6389 eligible children. These measurements were used to derive the indicators of nutritional status such as wasting and stunting using Z-scores based on WHO child growth standards. Two indicators were treated separately as responses due their biological differences. Alternating Logistic Regression (ALR), Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs), a