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Prevalence and predictors of underweight and stunting among children under 2 years of age in Eastern Kenya

Abstract Objective: To investigate key risk factors associated with undernutrition in the first few years of life. Design: A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in January 2018 collecting anthropometric data and other information on household, caregiver and child characteristics. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated to assess the association of these characteristics with stunting and underweight outcomes. Setting: Kitui and Machakos counties in south-east Kenya. Participants: Caregivers and their children aged 0–23 months in 967 beneficiary households of the Government of Kenya’s cash for orphans and vulnerable children (CT-OVC) social protection scheme. Results: Twenty-three per cent of the 1004 children with anthropometric data were stunted, 10 % were underweight and 6 % experienced wasting. The strongest predictors of stunting and underweight were being in the second year of life and being born with a low birth weight. Residing in a poor household and having more than one child under 2 years of age in the household were also significant risk factors for being underweight. Although 43 % of children did not receive the minimal acceptable diet, this was not a significant factor associated with undernutrition. When age was removed as a covariate in children aged 12–23 months, being male resulted in a significantly higher risk of being stunted. Conclusions: While only 9 % of children were born with a low birth weight, these were four to five times more likely to be stunted and underweight, suggesting that preventive measures during pregnancy could have significant nutrition and health benefits for young children in this study area.