Abstract
Chronic malnutrition is one of the major causes of morbidity and
mortality among preschool children and the future productivity of
nations. To understand the prevalence of chronic malnutrition and to
identify the factors affecting height-for-age z-score (HAZ) among
preschool children, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 380
randomly-selected children aged less than five years in Dhaka city,
Bangladesh. Results of analysis of this study data revealed that the
prevalence of stunting among preschool children in Dhaka city was
39.5%, with 25% severely stunted and 14% moderately stunted
(p<0.001). Results of bivariate analysis revealed that socioeconomic
and demographic factors were most significantly associated with the
stunting of children. Children were found to be well-nourished if their
parents had a tertiary-level education or higher and if the mother held
a job and had good knowledge of nutrition. Well-nourishment of the
children were also associated with the height of mothers (above 148
cm), good family educational background, normal birthweight, greater
frequency of food intake (more than six times/day), and fewer fever
episodes in the last six months. Results of multivariate linear
regression models showed that height of mothers, birthweight of
children, education of fathers, knowledge of mothers on nutrition, and
frequency of feeding were the most significant factors that had an
independent and direct influence on the stunting of children. To
achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of 34% malnutrition
prevalence by 2015, it is important to have specific government
intervention to focus on the causes that directly influence the
stunting of children.