2025/07/19 by Johnson, Ofonime, Olatunji, Gloria, Akan, Mkpouto +6
#Anthropometric assessment #Children Under-5 #Nutritional status #obesity #stunting
paper · doi:10.71637/tnhj.v25i2.1106
Background: Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the growth and development of under-five children. This study assessed the nutritional status of under-fives using anthropometric assessment in Paediatrics clinic, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A pre-tested, interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from guardians of under-fives, while measurements were done on the children using various anthropometric tools. Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 to obtain proportions and test for associations. Significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: A total of 134 respondents participated in the study. The prevalence rates of overweight/obesity, stunting, wasting, and underweight were 28.4%, 13.4%, 11.2%, and 6.7% respectively. Stunting was significantly higher among under-fives aged 0-23 months (19.4%) compared to 24-59 months (7.5%), (P = 0.043, Χ2 = 4.107) and among children whose mothers had no formal education (40.0%) compared to 0% in children whose mothers had tertiary education. The highest proportion of stunting (50.0%) was seen in children whose mothers were single compared to (11.6%) in children whose mothers were married (Fisher’s exact = 0.026). Stunting of 30.0% was also seen in children whose mothers were unemployed compared to (12.1 %) in children whose mothers were employed (P = 0.110).