MAJORADVISOR: TESHALE FIKADU (BSC, MPH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OFEPIDEMIOLOGY, PHD CANDIDATE) CO-ADVISOR: DR. NIGUSSIE BOTI (PHD)

Abstract

Background: The double burden of malnutrition refers to the co-existence of under and over-nutrition in a community, household, or individual level in countries undergoing a nutrition transition. Nutritional transition, a major contributor of DBM worldwide, is the process of shifting from highly prevalent undernutrition to widely prevalent overnutrition, and the shift in dietary patterns from high-carbohydrate to high-fat foods. Although there are various studies conducted in Ethiopia regarding preschool children's nutritional problems, there is a research gap on the double burden of malnutrition among children aged 3 to 5 years. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and the associated factors of the double burden of malnutrition among preschool children. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 818 preschool children from May 10 to June 10, 2024, in Southern Ethiopia. Amultistage sampling method was employed to select the study participants. Data was collected using the Kobo data collection tool, the collected was checked for completeness and internal consistency, coded, and then exported and analyzed using SPSS Version 20. Nutritional indices data (Z-score of BAZ, WAZ, and HAZ) was calculated using WHO Anthro 2007 version 3.2.2 software. A bi-variable and multi variable analysis was done. All variables with p-values less than 0.25 during the bi variable analysis were candidates for multi-variable analysis. Levels of statistical significance were declared at a p-value less than 0.05, and information was presented using frequencies, numerical measures, tables, and graphs. Result: According to this study, the prevalence of double-burden malnutrition was 7.6% (0.05, 95%CI, 5.9- 9.4). The odds of double burden malnutrition among mothers with primary education was 3.417 (AOR: 3.417, 95% CI: 1.25, 4.091) higher than those whose education level was above secondary. The odds of DBM among households with a family size of more than 5 members was 2.66 times higher compared to a family size of less than 5(AOR: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.101, 11.239). The odds of DBM were 2.987 times higher among those in Wealth index tertile 2 compared to their counterparts (AOR: 0.002, 95% CI 1.482-6.018). Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of the double burden of malnutrition was 7.6% in the study area. Household food insecurity, maternal factors, socio-demographic factors, and child health factors likely exacerbate the double burden of malnutrition in children aged 3–5 years. Double-burden malnutrition is a public health problem in the study area. Therefore, a target-specific public health intervention is needed to address the identified associated factors in order to reduce the burden of double malnutrition.