Prevalence and Determinants of Undernutrition in Schoolchildren in the Kilombero District, South-Eastern Tanzania

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dc.contributor.authorMinja, Elihaika
dc.contributor.authorMrimi, Emmanuel
dc.contributor.authorMponzi, Winfrida
dc.contributor.authorMollel, Getrud
dc.contributor.authorLang, Christin
dc.contributor.authorBeckmann, Johanna
dc.contributor.authorGerber, Markus
dc.contributor.authorPühse, Uwe
dc.contributor.authorLong, Kurt
dc.contributor.authorMasanja, Honorat
dc.contributor.authorOkumu, Fredros
dc.contributor.authorFinda, Marceline
dc.contributor.authorUtzinger, Jürg
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-13T11:55:22Z
dc.date.issued2024-04-25
dc.descriptionSGD-2: Zero Hunger
dc.description.abstractChildhood undernutrition is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries, affecting the health, well-being, and educational outcomes of schoolchildren. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of stunting, wasting, and underweight among schoolchildren in peri-urban areas in the south-eastern part of Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 930 children aged 6–12 years from four primary schools from July to August 2019. The WHO Anthro Survey Analyzer was employed to estimate the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight, while logistic regression analyses examined sociodemographic background, malaria infection, anaemia, anthropometric measures, and dietary diversity score as potential factors. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight, and obesity was 11.8%, 4.3%, 3.9%, 11.1%, and 2.0%, respectively. Overall, 1.5% of the children had malaria, as determined by rapid diagnostic tests, and 0.4% had severe anaemia. Univariate analysis indicated higher odds of undernutrition among children aged 9–12 compared to their younger peers. Stunting was more common among children with low and medium dietary diversity. Anaemia was found in 11.2% of schoolchildren, and severe anaemia was associated with wasting. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and low dietary diversity were significantly associated with undernutrition. These findings emphasise the need for school-based health and nutrition programmes targeting children beyond the age of 5 to improve their nutritional status and mitigate potential adverse effects on health, cognition, and academic achievement. Regular assessment of the nutritional status of schoolchildren is warranted.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9050096
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/123456789/3434
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.subjectAnaemia
dc.subjectMalaria
dc.subjectNutritional status
dc.subjectSchoolchildren
dc.subjectTanzania
dc.subjectUndernutrition
dc.titlePrevalence and Determinants of Undernutrition in Schoolchildren in the Kilombero District, South-Eastern Tanzania
dc.typeArticle

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