Undernutrition and associated factors among children aged 6-59 months in nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention implemented Basona district, North Shewa Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Background: In Ethiopia, child malnutrition is a significant public health problem. To address the problem, Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) program was introduced. However, there is a paucity of evidence about the prevalence of child undernutrition in NSA-implemented districts. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of undernutrition among children aged 6-59 months in NSA-implemented districts.

Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted by enrolling 422 children aged 6-59 months paired with their mothers. A systematic sampling technique was used to select respondents. Data were collected by Open Data Kit (ODK) data collection platform, and Stata version 16 was used for analysis. The multivariable logistic analysis model was fitted to assess the association between variables, and 95% CI was estimated to measure the strength of the association. The level of statistical significance was declared at a p-value of less than 0.05 in the multivariable model.

Result: Overall, 406 respondents participated in the study, and a response rate of 96.2% was obtained. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight was 24.1% (95% CI: 19.9-28.4), 8.87% (95% CI: 6.3-12.1) and 19.95% (95% CI: 16.2-24.2), respectively. Household food insecurity was significantly associated with being underweight (AOR: 3.31, 95% CI (1.7-6.3). Child dietary diversity (AOR: 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.48) and being a beneficiary of the NSA (AOR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.96) program were associated with wasting. Lack of ANC visits and diarrhea in the past two weeks was associated with stunting and wasting, respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition was a moderate public health problem. Wasting was more prevalent than the recent national and Amhara region averages. However, the prevalence of stunting and underweight was lower than the national average and other studies conducted in Ethiopia. Healthcare providers should work to increase dietary diversity, ANC visits, and reduce diarrheal disease.