| 摘要: | Background- Studies have shown that malnutrition is the product of numerous factors that are not well distributed at home and the misallocation of potential resources. Despite the efforts of the health care authorities in the country, the epidemic of malnutrition in Guatemala remains unsolved, with the highest rate of malnutrition in the Americas and the fourth highest in the world. It has been examined that the lives of children under five years old in Guatemala are condemned by the limitation of resources, equal access to health care, education, and socioeconomic conditions. This affects not only the growth of each child but also the development of the entire country. Due to the severity of the problem, an analysis of the risk factors for malnutrition in children under five years old will be explored as well as, recommendations that can contribute to its reduction.
Objective: To determine the risk factors associated with child malnutrition in Guatemala and identify those factors associated with the prevalence of child malnutrition that can be modify.
Methods: The aim is to perform an analytical, descriptive study (cross-sectional study). As an analytical study based, pre-existing database (ENSMI for its Spanish acronym) carried out in Guatemala in 2014-2015 will be used and the same study population of these surveys is considered as to be the same as a study population. Data will be analyzed using SPSS statistical package version 19.0.
Results: It was found that the significant risk factors contributing to malnutrition in Guatemala are: the geographic characteristics such as, place of residence, as living in the rural area, the age of the child, the duration of breastfeeding, the mother’s education level, an inadequate dietary intake, the absence of vaccination, presence of diarrhea and father’s occupation.
Conclusion: Social conditions, such as a low level of maternal education, the absence of breastfeeding and mothers having their first child in adolescence increase the risk of suffering from malnutrition. Children living under economic conditions such as: living in the rural area of the country, having inappropriate dietary intake, the presence of common and preventable diseases such as diarrhea and an incomplete vaccination scheme are all risk factors associated with malnutrition in the child population of Guatemala. |
