Abstract:
Undernutrition is continuing to be a serious socio-economic problem in many
developing countries. It is a condition arising from inadequate consumption of needed
nutrients such as protein, calories, or micronutrients. The main three forms of
undernutrition; wasting, stunting, and underweight are measured through the Weight
for Age (WFA), Height for Age (HFA) and Weight for Height (WFH) Z score respectively.
Undernourished children are highly exposed to morbidity and mortality, with the risk of
less cognitive and social-emotional development. Identifying risk factors for child
undernutrition is important for policy implications to reduce child undernutrition. The
objective of this study is to investigate the social risk factors of child undernutrition in
Sri Lanka based on the Nuwara-Eliya district. Nuwara-Eliya district was selected as the
study area due to the highest prevalence of undernutrition in terms of Height for Age
(HFA). The study employed primary data collected from a sample survey. The sample
size of 378 schoolchildren was decided based on Morgan’s table. Multi-stage stratified
random sampling technique was applied to draw the sample. Multiple binary logit
model, descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and
likelihood ratio statistics were used in the data analysis. The results show that
electrification, marital status, and mothers’ education are social risk factors for child
undernutrition. The model predicts that the probability of suffering from undermatron
is higher for the children of households without electricity (0.51), parents who never
married (0.51), and mothers with no schooling (0.66). Relevant authorities should
emphasize being concerned with these social risk factors in the attempt to reduce child
undernutrition.
