article · Public Health Frontier
Malnutrition contributes significantly to childhood illness and mortality, hindering growth and development. An investigation into children aged up to 59 months attending paediatrics and immunisation units at Bonassama District Hospital in Douala evaluated nutritional status and underlying determinants using World Health Organization standards and parent questionnaires. The findings revealed that 17.8 percent of the examined children were malnourished, whilst 82.2 percent showed normal nutritional status. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that living in modern housing, being a tenant, having a previous respiratory infection, and using healthcare services only occasionally were all significantly associated with childhood malnutrition. In contrast, maternal knowledge concerning essential food groups demonstrated no significant link to malnutrition rates. Addressing under-five malnutrition effectively requires prevention programmes that consider broader environmental, socioeconomic, and healthcare access factors alongside clinical management.
Understanding the drivers of childhood malnutrition allows healthcare providers and policymakers to better target interventions. Because malnutrition in this setting correlates with housing tenure, living conditions, infection history, and irregular healthcare attendance rather than parental dietary knowledge alone, interventions must look beyond basic nutritional education to tackle broader living conditions and encourage regular medical care.
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Malnutrition is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, affecting children’s growth and development. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with malnutrition among children aged 0 to 59 months at Bonassama District Hospital in Douala. A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2025 to April 2026 among children aged 0 to 59 months seen in the pediatrics and immunization units. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to parents. Nutritional status was assessed according to WHO standards, and associated factors were identified through multivariate analysis. Among the children studied, 82.2% had normal nutritional status and 17.8% were malnourished. After adjustment, the factors significantly associated with malnutrition were type of housing (modern house: AOR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.03–4.01; p = 0.044), tenant status (AOR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.53–6.78; p < 0.001), history of respiratory infection (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.20–5.35; p = 0.019), and occasional use of health services (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.05–5.21; p = 0.030). Mothers’ knowledge of essential food groups was not significantly associated with malnutrition. Malnutrition remains a significant problem among children under five years of age in Bonassama. Prevention strategies should incorporate health, socioeconomic, and environmental factors to improve screening and management of at-risk children.
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DOI: 10.36568/phf.v2i2.26
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