Assessment of nutritional status of preschool children of Gumbrit, North West Ethiopia

Background: Economically Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world and malnutrition is one of the major and most pressing health problems; especially among children. Objective: To assess the nutritional status of preschool children in a rural locality of Northwest Ethiopia Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a rural locality called Gumbrit. Weight and height of the study children were measured and the socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects were collected using a questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of malnutrition in the community was high with 28.5% of the children being underweight, 24% stunted and 17.7% wasted. Among the socio-economic variables included in the study only family income was significantly associated with malnutrition. Conclusion: The nutritional status of children in rural communities is affected by low family income. To improve nutritional status of children the full implementation of the poverty alleviation programmes should be considered and appropriate measures need to be taken to support needy families with children. The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development Vol. 21 (2) 2007: pp. 125-129