Maternal characteristics and weight-for-length status of young children aged 0-23 months in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

@#<p style="text-align justify;"><strong>Introduction.</strong> Malnutrition in the forms of wasting and overweight among children ages 0 to 23 months is a continuing public health concern in the Philippines. Childhood malnutrition has lifelong consequences. For young children aged 0-23 months, maternal influences play a significant role in the realization of optimal nutritional status.</p><p style="text-align justify;"><strong>Objective.</strong> This study aimed to identify maternal characteristics that may influence the nutritional status of children aged 0-23 months.</p><p style="text-align justify;"><strong>Methods.</strong> This study utilized data from the 2015 Updating Survey from Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute. The association of maternal characteristics with the nutritional status of a child was determined using the Rao-Scott Chi-squared test statistic. Multinomial logistic regression was used to model a child's nutritional status using weight-for-length as an indicator.</p><p style="text-align justify;"><strong>Results.</strong> A child whose mother was educated was less likely to be wasted. The odds of a child being wasted was observed to increase with underweight mothers, longer duration of lactation and higher wealth quintile. Alternatively, the odds of a child to be overweight is reduced if the mother had formal education, was in late lactation stage, and availed tetanus toxoid vaccine. The likelihood that a child will be overweight increased with higher family wealth quintile and obesity of the mother.</p><p style="text-align justify;"><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Maternal nutritional status, education, duration of lactation, wealth quintile, and availment of prenatal services were found to be associated with the weight-for-height status of children 0-23 months. Incorporating the identified maternal factors when planning new interventions and policies is recommended to address wasting in young children.</p>