Despite years of interventions intended to reduce child malnutrition in South Africa, its negative effects, stunting in particular, persist mainly among children under five years old living in under-resourced regions. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and associated factors among 404 children under age five attending childcare services with their mothers in selected healthcare facilities of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Anthropometry, socio-demographics and obstetric history were collected. Height-for-age, weight-for-age and body mass index-for-age Z-scores were used to determine stunting, underweight and thinness among children, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were performed to generate the factors associated with malnutrition. Stunting (45.3%) was the prevalent form of malnutrition among children under age five, affecting boys (51.7%) more than girls (38.8%) and children aged 12–23 months (62.4%) more than those <11 months old (40.1%), in addition to the overall prevalence of underweight (29.0%) and thinness (12.6%). Boys had increased odds of stunting (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.26–3.41, p = 0.004) and underweight (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.32–3.57, p = 0.002) than girls. Children aged 12–23 months were more likely to be stunted (AOR = 4.79, 95% CI: 2.36–9.75, p ≤ 0.0001) than children aged ≤11 months. Delayed introduction of solid foods increased the odds of stunting (AOR = 5.77, 95% CI: 2.63–12.64, p ≤ 0.0001) and underweight (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.08–3.89, p = 0.028). Children with normal birth weight were less likely to be thin (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.19–0.92, p = 0.029) and underweight (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17–0.68, p = 0.003) than children who had low birth weight. Children whose mothers had obtained secondary school education (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.16–0.97, p = 0.044), and Grade 12 or post-Grade 12 education (AOR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.12–0.83, p = 0.020) were less likely to be stunted than were children of mothers who had only primary school education. Suboptimal complementary feeding predisposed children to stunting and underweight. National nutrition programs should be context-specific to improve the introduction of complementary foods among children, especially in the remote and poor areas.

中文翻译：

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南非林波波省参加基层医疗机构的5岁以下儿童的持续营养不良和相关因素

尽管多年来采取了旨在减少南非儿童营养不良的干预措施，但其负面影响，特别是发育迟缓，主要持续存在于资源贫乏地区的五岁以下儿童中。进行了一项横断面研究，以确定在南非林波波省选定的医疗机构中与母亲一起接受托儿服务的404岁五岁以下儿童中的营养不良患病率和相关因素。收集人体测量学，社会人口统计学和产科史。年龄高度，年龄重量和体重指数Z值分别用于确定儿童的发育迟缓，体重不足和瘦弱程度。进行逻辑回归分析以产生与营养不良有关的因素。发育迟缓（45。3％）是五岁以下儿童中营养不良的普遍形式，男孩（51.7％）比女孩（38.8％）多，男孩（12-23个月）（62.4％）比<11个月大（40.1％）多，以及体重不足（29.0％）和瘦弱（12.6％）的总体患病率。男孩的发育不良几率增加（调整后的优势比，AOR = 2.07，95％CI：1.26-3.41，p = 0.004）和体重不足（AOR = 2.17，95％CI：1.32-3.57，p = 0.002）。12-23个月的儿童更可能受到阻碍（AOR = 4.79，95％CI：2.36-9.75，p ≤0.0001）比孩子年龄≤11个月。延迟引入固体食物增加发育迟缓的可能性（AOR = 5.77，95％CI：2.63-12.64，p ≤0.0001）和体重（AOR = 2.05，95％CI：1.08-3.89，p = 0.028）。出生体重正常的儿童较轻（AOR = 0.42，95％CI：0.19–0.92，p = 0.029）和体重不足（AOR = 0.34，95％CI：0.17–0.68，p）的可能性较小= 0.003）。母亲接受了中学教育的孩子（AOR = 0.39，95％CI：0.16-0.97，p = 0.044），以及12年级或12年级以后的教育（AOR = 0.32，95％CI：0.12-0.83，p =与仅接受小学教育的母亲的孩子相比，有0.020）的儿童发育迟缓的可能性较小。次优补充喂养易使儿童发育迟缓和体重不足。国家营养方案应针对具体情况，以改善儿童尤其是边远和贫困地区儿童补充食品的引进。