Levels, patterns and determinants of child malnutrition in Zimbabwe : evidence from the 1988, 1994 and 1999 Zimbabwe demographic and health surveys.
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Date
2006
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Abstract
Child nutrition has become a well accepted marker of a population's health.
Consequently, in the past decades it has been common for health surveys to collect
anthropometric measurements of children. Cross sectional data including that of
demographic health surveys, therefore, provides a framework for analysis of progress
in health of children in the developing world. Using data from the Zimbabwe
Demographic Health Surveys (ZDHS) of 1988, 1994 and 1999, this dissertation
describes the levels, patterns of distribution, and the changes in determinants of child
malnutrition in Zimbabwe between 1988 and 1999.
The study employed complimentary methodology by using both the quantitative as
well as the qualitative data. Standardized anthropometric measures (weight and
height/length of children 3-35 months) from ZDHS were converted into the three
indices (weight-for-age, weight-for-height, and height-for-age) to measure patterns of
child malnutrition using the Epi-Info software. In addition, the Statistical Package of
Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and
regression models in the three cross-sectional data sets. Multiple linear regression
models were used to analyze the effects of independent variables for child
malnutrition in the year 1988, 1994 and 1999. The qualitative methodology was used
to compliment and fill the gaps from the quantitative data. Focus group discussion indepth
interviews were held with community stakeholders in two regions in
Zimbabwe.
It was observed that malnutrition patterns in Zimbabwe has slightly decreased
between 1988 and 1994 before rising again in 1999 based on the current World Health
Organization (WHO) standard. Stunting and underweight are more significant forms
of malnutrition in Zimbabwe in all the survey years. The education of mothers, child
age, had highly significant effects on the nutritional status of children, while other
independent variable had varying significance over the years. Factors such as child's
age, mother's education, and sources of water, and toilet facilities are important in
explaining child malnutrition in Zimbabwe over the past years.
The analysis of anthropometric data from demographic health surveys contributes a
useful approach to evaluate and inform child health policy and interventions in the
developing countries. The results also demonstrates how the second round and third
round assessment of Demographic Health Survey anthropometry can add some
advantages of longitudinal measurement to the cross sectional datasets.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.
Keywords
Theses--Population studies.