Determinants of Undernutrition among Children Admitted to a Pediatric Hospital in Port Sudan, Sudan

Abstract

Severe acute undernutrition (SAU) is still a crucial global health issue in the 0–59 months population, increasing the risk of mortality as well as of long-term consequences. In Sudan, 3.3 million children suffered from acute malnutrition between 2018 and 2019. This study was planned to evaluate, in the area of Port Sudan, the prevalence of acute undernutrition after the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the most important factors favoring the development of acute undernutrition. The available clinical records of all the under-five children (n = 1012) admitted to the Port Sudan Emergency Pediatric Hospital from 1 February 2021 to 31 January 2022 were analyzed. The presence of wasting and kwashiorkor was assessed and children were categorized according to age, gender, place of residence, main reason for hospitalization, and underlying comorbidities. Acute undernutrition was evidenced in 493 (48.7%) children. Of them, only 16 (3.2%) were diagnosed with kwashiorkor. Children with SAU had a higher prevalence of acute gastroenteritis (p < 0.05) and parasitosis (p < 0.05). Infants aged 0–6 months were those with the lowest risk of undernutrition, whereas those aged 7–12 months were those with the greater risk. In these patients, multivariate analysis revealed that SAU and MAU were 2.5 times (OR 2.51; 95% CI, 1.79–3.55) and 5.5 times (OR 5.56; 95% CI, 2.59–18.7) higher. This study shows that the area of Port Sudan is still suffering from an alarming prevalence of severe wasting and the risk of developing acute undernutrition seems strictly related to the introduction of complementary feeding and tends to reduce with increasing age. Measures already in place to prevent acute malnutrition should be reinforced with improvement of mother education on child feeding.