Factors Predicting Chronic Malnutrition Among Young Children in Myanmar

Abstract

Chronic malnutrition (i.e., stunting) is one of the significant health problems among children under five years old in Myanmar. The government has been trying to accelerate the reduction of malnutrition by collaborating and coordinating with other government and non-government organizations. However, the prevalence of chronic malnutrition remains high. This study examines the factors that could predict chronic malnutrition among young children using the Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey 2015–2016. Data record forms were used to collect the required information from the original data source. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were applied to analyze the data analysis and to determine the predictive power of independent variables. It was found that breastfeeding, birth weight, and family wealth index were significant predictors of childhood stunting. This study recommends emphasizing low-birth-weight infants to prevent chronic malnutrition and promote breastfeeding for all infants and children in Myanmar. Furthermore, policymakers should try poverty reduction and establish healthcare services that are easily accessible to the public, especially to the poor. Based on the findings of this study, more efforts to set up readily available public health services providing care for pregnant women and promoting breastfeeding would be some better precautions against chronic malnutrition for every child, particularly from developing countries.