Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland

Abstract Background Child malnutrition is a severe public health crisis in regions like Somaliland, leading to adverse developmental outcomes. Context-specific data are crucial for effective interventions, yet are limited in communities like Sheikh Osman, Borama. This study aimed to determine the pr...

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Main Authors: Abdirizak Jirde Abdi, Osman Abdillahi Khairdon, Abdisalam Hassan Muse, Abdirahman Omer Ali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-08-01
Series:Discover Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00840-y
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author Abdirizak Jirde Abdi
Osman Abdillahi Khairdon
Abdisalam Hassan Muse
Abdirahman Omer Ali
author_facet Abdirizak Jirde Abdi
Osman Abdillahi Khairdon
Abdisalam Hassan Muse
Abdirahman Omer Ali
author_sort Abdirizak Jirde Abdi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Child malnutrition is a severe public health crisis in regions like Somaliland, leading to adverse developmental outcomes. Context-specific data are crucial for effective interventions, yet are limited in communities like Sheikh Osman, Borama. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and identify associated factors among preschool children in this community. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 152 preschool children (2–5 years) were recruited in the Sheikh Osman community. We collected anthropometric measurements and used caregiver questionnaires to gather data on child health and socio-demographics. Malnutrition was defined using WHO standards. To identify associated factors, multivariate logistic regression was performed, using the SMOTE technique to address class imbalance in the data. Results A high prevalence of malnutrition (79.6%) was found. The analysis revealed that the number of diarrheal episodes (Adjusted OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.10–1.83) and upper respiratory infections (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03–1.66) were significantly associated with increased odds of a child being malnourished. Socio-economic factors did not show a significant association in the adjusted model. Conclusion Malnutrition among preschool children in the Sheikh Osman community is critically high and strongly associated with the burden of infectious diseases. Findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted public health interventions focusing on improving child health, particularly through enhanced WASH, immunization, and clinical care, to break the cycle of infection and malnutrition.
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spelling doaj-art-315987927f494473be372cccc1bcfd9c2025-08-20T04:01:43ZengSpringerDiscover Public Health3005-07742025-08-0122111210.1186/s12982-025-00840-yFactors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama SomalilandAbdirizak Jirde Abdi0Osman Abdillahi Khairdon1Abdisalam Hassan Muse2Abdirahman Omer Ali3College of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Amoud UniversityCollege of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Amoud UniversitySchool of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Amoud UniversityCollege of Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, Amoud UniversityAbstract Background Child malnutrition is a severe public health crisis in regions like Somaliland, leading to adverse developmental outcomes. Context-specific data are crucial for effective interventions, yet are limited in communities like Sheikh Osman, Borama. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and identify associated factors among preschool children in this community. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 152 preschool children (2–5 years) were recruited in the Sheikh Osman community. We collected anthropometric measurements and used caregiver questionnaires to gather data on child health and socio-demographics. Malnutrition was defined using WHO standards. To identify associated factors, multivariate logistic regression was performed, using the SMOTE technique to address class imbalance in the data. Results A high prevalence of malnutrition (79.6%) was found. The analysis revealed that the number of diarrheal episodes (Adjusted OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.10–1.83) and upper respiratory infections (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03–1.66) were significantly associated with increased odds of a child being malnourished. Socio-economic factors did not show a significant association in the adjusted model. Conclusion Malnutrition among preschool children in the Sheikh Osman community is critically high and strongly associated with the burden of infectious diseases. Findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted public health interventions focusing on improving child health, particularly through enhanced WASH, immunization, and clinical care, to break the cycle of infection and malnutrition.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00840-yChild malnutritionMalnutrition prevalenceInternal risk factorsPreschool childrenSomalilandBorama
spellingShingle Abdirizak Jirde Abdi
Osman Abdillahi Khairdon
Abdisalam Hassan Muse
Abdirahman Omer Ali
Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
Discover Public Health
Child malnutrition
Malnutrition prevalence
Internal risk factors
Preschool children
Somaliland
Borama
title Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
title_full Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
title_fullStr Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
title_full_unstemmed Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
title_short Factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in Sheikh Osman community Borama Somaliland
title_sort factors associated with nutritional status of preschool children in sheikh osman community borama somaliland
topic Child malnutrition
Malnutrition prevalence
Internal risk factors
Preschool children
Somaliland
Borama
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-025-00840-y
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