Malaria, anaemia and under-nutrition: three frequently co-existing conditions among preschool children in rural Rwanda.

Background: Malaria, anaemia and under-nutrition are three highly prevalent and frequently co-existing diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality particularly among children aged less than 5 years. Currently, there is paucity of conclusive studies on the burden of and associations between malaria, anaemia and under-nutrition in Rwanda and comparable sub-Saharan and thus, this study measured the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia, anaemia and under-nutrition among preschool age children in a rural Rwandan setting and evaluated for interactions between and risk determinants for these three conditions.

Methods: A cross-sectional household (HH) survey involving children aged 6-59 months was conducted.