Sources of child malnutrition in Radella estate: a comparative analysis of selected determinants as revealed by national studies
Loading...
Date
2016-07-28
Authors
Kamalrathne, T.
Nanayakkara, V.
Chamikara, M. A. P.
Wijesinghe, S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
Introduction
Malnutrition is a significant health issue for children under five in developing countries today. United Nations (2007) revealed that half of the world’s 150 million malnourished children live in the South Asian region and over 50 percent of all under five deaths are caused by malnutrition. Sri Lanka’s Demographic and Health Survey (2006/07) confirmed that the prevalence rate of stunting is 18% while wasting and underweight are 15% and 22%, respectively. Further, the estate sector reported the highest stunting and underweight prevalence rates compared to the other sectors.
The objective of the study is to identify the most prevalent sources of child malnutrition in the estate sector. It seeks to examine the relevance of what have been identified as ‘socio-economic determinants’ of child malnutrition in national level surveys (DHS 2006/07; NFSA 2009; UNICEF 2011) for under-five malnutrition in the estate sector.
Methodology
The Nuwara Eliya district of the Central Province in Sri Lanka was selected as the research area where the highest prevalence rate of child malnutrition is reported (DHS 2006/07; NFSA 2009). The baseline survey conducted by Child Fund Sri Lanka1 on the levels of malnutrition among children below five years in Nuwara Eliya was used in this study as its sampling frame. According to the survey results, Radella Estate recorded the highest prevalence rate (44%) and was therefore selected as the study area. The study utilized a comparative research design to compare and contrast the malnourished and non-malnourished groups of children. All the malnourished children (40) in the estate, who were reported to be growth retardates for an observation period of three months, were purposively selected for the malnourished group. Another 40 children were selected for the non-malnourished group through simple random sampling. The study utilized a mixed method of survey, observation and focus group discussions to obtain data.
The Kolmogorov - Smirnov Test and the Shapiro-Wilk Tests were used to test the normality of the dataset. For statistical comparison between the malnourished and non-malnourished datasets, the Mann-Whitney U test was used when the dependent variable was not normally distributed, while the Paired sample t-test was used to compare the differences between two normally distributed independent groups. SPSS 21 software package was used for quantitative data analysis.
Findings and Discussion
‘Determinants’ or sources2 identified by national and regional level research were re-tested in the current research to assess their relevance and applicability. Therefore, eleven key sources and another eleven specific sources; all together twenty two were examined in the study. All key sources were statistically tested and other specific sources were tested by using a mixed method, including quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis using in-depth data gathered by Focus Group Discussions and individual interviews. The Mann-Whitney U test and the paired sample t-test were carried out to test the significance of each source in differentiating between the malnourished and the non- malnourished groups, at 0.05% significance level. Table 1 presents the applicability and relevance of the eleven key sources identified in understanding child malnutrition in the estate sector. A significant difference indicates that a greater emphasis has to be laid upon the corresponding source as it has a potential impact on child malnutrition.
Table 1.Sources of Child Malnutrition in Radella Estate
< table >
Source: Field Research, 2014.
In addition to the above key sources, the applicability of the following were also investigated quantitatively and qualitatively through the survey conducted in Radella Estate. Table 2 reports results of the significance of specific sources of malnutrition based on qualitative data gathered from focus group discussions, observation and the case study method.
Table 2.Qualitative Identification of Significant Sources of Child Malnutrition
< table >
Source: Field Research, 2014.
According to the above results, among eleven key sources which were tested under the national level, only six were statistically proven to be significant and relevant. Further, it is observed that, among eleven specific sources tested, only two are significant.
Conclusion
The results imply the possibility that some of the factors identified as determinants at the national level may no longer be valid in understanding under-five malnutrition in the estate sector. Most of the studies carried out in the national level seem to be surveys and, thus, important in-depth causal factors have been somewhat neglected. Hence, further identification and confirmation of specific determinants is called for.
Description
Keywords
child malnutrition
Citation
Proceedings of the International Conference on the Humanities and the Social Sciences (ICHSS) -2016 Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya. P. 24 -28