Contribution to the Study of the Determinants of Malnutrition in Children Aged 6 - 59 Months in the Case of Buhiga Commune, Karusi Province

Malnutrition plays a large role in half of all child deaths worldwide, which is more than any infectious disease and yet it is not an infection. It is a major public health problem in Burundi that risks hindering efforts for the country’s future economic and social development. It leaves lasting after-effects in millions of survivors in the form of infirmity, chronic vulnerability to disease, and intellectual disability. It is a threat to women, families and societies as a whole, and a clear violation of children’s rights. Our study aimed to identify the determinants of malnutrition in children aged 6 - 59 months in the Buhiga commune of the Karusi province, Burundi. This is a cross-sectional study with an analytical purpose on a sample of 130 cases meeting the inclusion criteria that was carried out in the different households of the Buhiga commune. The study covered a period of 4 months from March 1 to June 31, 2024. A survey questionnaire was sent to each respondent and completed by the interviewer during data collection. The parameters studied concerned sociodemographic factors, factors related to morbidity in children as well as behavioural and environmental factors. After collection, data entry was performed in the Excel version 2016. La sample description and logistic regression analysis of variables associated with malnutrition in children aged 6 - 59 months in Buhiga commune with the Odds Ratio and 95% confidence interval were performed using STATA 15.1 with a significant threshold of 0.05. The prevalence of malnutrition in children aged 6 - 59 months was 9.23% (95% CI, p < 5%) and the significant variables (p < 0.05) associated with acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months in the commune Buhiga after multivariate analysis were: frequency of meals consumed (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02 - 0.69, p: 0.017), household size (OR: 10.4, 95% CI: 1.72 - 64, p: 0.011) and marital status (OR; 34.9, 95% CI: 1.111 - 1092, p: 0.043). Our study identified the determinants of malnutrition among children aged 6 - 59 months in the commune of Buhiga in the province of Karusi on which policymakers could focus their prevention strategies in order to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in children aged 6 - 59 months and its consequences. At the end of our study, we suggest the following recommendations: 1) Through IEC activities, improve household nutrition behaviours. To promote education for the health of families on the nutritional value of food and on a balanced diet of sufficient quality and