Identifying Social Risk Factors of Child Undernutrition in the Nuwara-Eliya District, Sri Lanka

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.