Association of Infant and Child Feeding Index with Undernutrition in Children Aged 6-59 Months: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Maldives.

Adequate dietary intake is critically important for child growth and development. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of undernutrition and its association with infant and child feeding index (ICFI). This cross-sectional study was conducted among children (younger than5 years) and their mothers from Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives. The data were obtained by interviewing the children's mothers via pretested questionnaires. Infant and child feeding index scores were calculated from the dietary information. Weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), length/height-for-age z-scores (LAZ/HAZ), and weight-for-length/height z-scores were calculated from anthropometric data taken according to the WHO criterion. Linear regression tests were used to find the association of nutritional status with ICFI scores. A total of 800 children and their mothers participated in this study. The prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting was 24.6%, 32.4%, and 16.3%, respectively. The mean ICFI scores (13.0) of children aged 6-8 months were better than those of children in other age-groups. In food groups, the intake of fish was higher among the respondents, whereas the consumption of vegetables and fruits was lower. Infant and child feeding index scores were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with WAZ and LAZ/HAZ after adjustment for confounders. Overall, the findings showed that Maldivian children consumed the limited number of food items that resulted in an inadequate intake of nutrients which further resulted in the high prevalence of malnutrition.

Malnutrition associated factors on children under 5 years old in Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives.

In this report, we aimed to analyze the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among children under 5 years of age in Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives. A total of 800 children (under 5 years old) and their mothers were selected for this study. Data was collected by using a pretested questionnaire and anthropometric measurements were taken from the hospital record book. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to find the association between nutritional status and determinants. The distribution of height for age and weight for age in surveyed children in Maldives was skewed to the left compared with the WHO standard. The prevalence of undernutrition based on underweight (10.75%), stunting (13.5%), and wasting (9.60%) was estimated to be 23.85% among children. Child age, gender and mother's education were significantly associated with undernutrition ( P<0.05). Our survey highlighted that better nutritional interventions are needed to improve child health in this region.