Abstract

Adequate nutrition is vital to children’s growth and development. Globally, about 155 million children were stunted. About half of the child's mortality was related to child malnutrition in developing countries, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of stunting, feeding practice, and associated factors among children age 6 to 59 months in Zeway Dugda district in 2019. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 783 children age 06 to 59 months selected with a multistage sampling technique. The data was entered, coded, and summarized using EPI INF-07 statistical software and analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Anthropometric measurements were taken by using calibrated equipment and analyzed with WHO-Anthro version 3.2.2 software. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done to see the association of each category of a variable with the outcome variable. Significance was checked at 95% CI with a p-value <0.05. The prevalence of stunting was 46.2% (of them, 30.4% severely stunted and 15.8% moderately stunted). Only 41% of the children had good IYCF practice as of WHO recommendation. Children’s who born from young age mothers [AOR=2.02, 95% CI (1.37, 2.97)], who were fed breast milk below 24 months [AOR = 1.75, 95% CI (1.18, 2.58)], who were from large family [AOR = 1.57, 95% CI (1.13, 2.19)], whose mother started FANC after 28 weeks of GA [AOR = 2.66, 95% CI (1.04, 6.78)], who were cared with other guardian [AOR = 2.42, 95% CI (1.00, 5.81)], whose weight for height below -2 Z-Score [AOR = 5.76, 95% CI (2.24, 15.58)], and whose MUAC < 125 mm [AOR = 1.71, 95% CI (1.15, 2.53)] were positively associated with stunting. Stunting was a highly prevalent problem with a low level of IYCF practice in the study area. This finding accentuates the need for increasing awareness of mothers about appropriate AMIYCF, family planning utilization, child care practice, early initiation of FANC, and delaying young age birth to prevent stunting.

Key words: Stunting, 6-59 months of age children, adolescent maternal infant young child feeding (AMIYCF), Zeway Dugda Woreda, Ethiopia.