TITLE:
Assessment of Nutritional Status and Associated Factors in Infants Aged 6 to 23 Months in Rural Burundi
AUTHORS:
Michel Baseka, Jonathan Niyukuri, Alice Ndayishimiye, Sedki Az-Eddine, Ferdinand Ndikuryayo, Vestine Ntakarutimana
KEYWORDS:
Nutritional Status, Infant, Complementary Feeding, Burundi
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.14 No.12,
December
21,
2023
ABSTRACT: This study was carried out in the Health districts
of Kayanza and Gahombo. Its aim was to assess the nutritional status and
associated factors of infants aged between 6 and 23 months. This descriptive
and cross-sectional study was carried out in the health centers of the action
zone during medical consultations in community medicine from 13 to 22 February 2023.
For this purpose, 53.0% of a sample of 398 mothers of infants aged 6 - 23
months were male, and the most represented age group was 12 - 23 months with
53.8%. Mothers were asked about the diet of their children. All the children
involved in this study were vaccinated, whereas 99.2% were given vitamin A
supplements. The most frequent illnesses in this age group were acute
respiratory infection (ARI) (73.4%), fever (66.6%), diarrhea (53.8%), and
vomiting (40.5%). Analysis of nutritional status showed that infants had severe
(8.3%) and moderate (70.4%) acute malnutrition. Factors associated with infant
nutritional status comprised the occupation of mother (P = 0.009), level of
education of mother (P = 0.0625), and prolonged diarrhea (P = 0.004). To remedy
this problem, concrete nutritional and educational interventions are needed to
promote optimal infant nutrition during the first two years of life.