Income and Malnutrition among Children under 59 Months Old in Borama District, Somaliland

Abstract

This study investigated income and malnutrition among under 59 months old children in Borama district, Somaliland. Malnutrition is a lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one eats. Malnutrition accounts for 15% of all child death in the country and 1.78% of all child deaths in Borama district. While statistics indicate high and increasing prevalence of malnutrition in Borama district, the influence of income has not been empirically investigated. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey, on a sample of 322 children. Data was collected using questionnaire and document analysis in February of 2018. The study found that income [χ² (2, N = 322) = 360.9, p = .000] and malnutrition [χ² (1, N = 322) = 89.75, p = .000] are significantly different among households with under 59 months old children. But malnutrition is not significantly dependent on income of households with under 59 months old children, χ² (1, N = 322) = 1.582, p = .812. The study concludes that income is not the major determinant of malnutrition among under 59 months old children in Borama district. The study recommends that Ministry of Health and Ministry of Family Affairs in Somaliland make special arrangements to provide all under 59 months old children with free nutritional supplements.