Incidence, Co-Morbidities And Associated Factors Of Malnutrition Among Children 0-5 Years In Dala Internally Displaced Persons (Idps) Camp In Jere Local Government Area Of Borno State.
Goodman John Ani
Department of Nursing, University of Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria
Dr. Pat U Okpala
Department of Nursing, University f Nigeria Enugu campus, Enugu state, Nigeria.
Moses I Akese
Department of Nursing, University of Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria.
Dyages Ephraim Obadiah
College of Nursing, kafanchan Kaduna state, Nigeria. Zainab Garba. State specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria
Keywords: Boko Haram, Co-morbidities, Internally displaced persons, Malnutrition
Abstract
Introduction: Malnutrition is a scourge on children in the states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno in northeastern Nigeria which have been under siege of Boko Haram insurgency since 2009. The insurgency has displaced many families who only find abode in internally displaced persons camps scattered in the affected states. Children 0-5 years are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, and succumb easily to many diseases following reduced immunity from poor nutrition. Aims: To determine the incidence of malnutrition, co-morbidities and associated factors among children 0-5 years of age in Dala internally displaced persons camp in Jere, LGA, Borno state.Methods: The design of the study is a cross-sectional descriptive survey. Census sample of 10,743 children 0-5 years who reported at the camp clinic from 1st January to 30th December 2017 was used. Binary logistic regression was used to identify causes of malnutrition, and variables significant at P<0.05 will be entered into the final multivariate model to identify significant factors independently predicting under-five malnutrition. Results: The incidence of malnutrition among children 0-5 years of age in Dala IDP camp is 10.7 per 1000 children. Moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) was higher than severe acute malnutrition (SAM) of which one can infer that the level of malnutrition in the camp was moderate. Those children whose fathers with illiterate were 5 times more likely to have malnutrition as compared to those with literate fathers [AOR=5.02, 95%CI (2.06, 13.14)] (p-value 0.001). Fever, diarrhea, anemia, cough, worm infestation, cough and ear infection were the common morbidities associated with malnutrition in the camp. Conclusion: Malnutrition easily occurs in displaced persons camps due to shortages of food and nutrients, and children are more prone. Efforts should be made to end hostilities causing displacement of citizens.