Thesis

Association between Child-related Factors and Wasting in Children Aged 6-59 Months in Selangor, Malaysia

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Childhood malnutrition, particularly wasting, remains a significant and persistent challenge in
Malaysian children under 5 years old, with current prevalence reported at 11% in 2022.
Child-related factors, such as birth weight, morbidity, vaccination completeness, feeding
practices, and dietary diversity have been found to provide a direct and immediate influence
on children’s overall nutritional status. Considering the limited research examining the
contribution of those factors on wasting, this study seeks to address this gap by evaluating
the association between child-related factors and wasting among children aged 6-59 months
in Selangor, Malaysia. This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2024 at
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia, involving 200 mother-children
pairs recruited through purposive sampling who consented to participate. The data was
collected through interview-based questionnaires comprising the sociodemographic profile,
child characteristics, feeding practices, and recent infections, followed by a dietary diversity
assessment using 24-hour dietary recall. Using the chi-square test, only birth weight
(p=0.045), presence of infections (p=0.007), diarrhoea (p=0.008), and children’s overall DD
(p=0.021) were significantly associated with wasting, while the other parameters were
insignificant. However, further analysis using the multiple logistic regression only found
significant association between diarrhoea and wasting (p=0.011; OR=2.83, 95% CI
1.275-6.279) and children’s overall DD and wasting (p=0.013, OR=0.587, 95% CI 0.385-0.894).
Future studies addressing the limitations of this research are required to ensure the
robustness and applicability of the findings.

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Availability

Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

FSN 24-019

Publisher

i3L, Jakarta : i3L, Jakarta., 2024

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Classification

NONE

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

24-hour recall
Child morbidity
Dietary diversity
Vaccination completeness

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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