Management Strategies of Malnourished Children and Its Associated Factors in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Aim: Malnutrition being a public health problem among children is more common in low- middle-income countries such as Nigeria, with a nationwide prevalence rate of 32 percent among children under the age of five years. This study aims to assess the management strategies of malnourished children and its associated factors in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a prospective descriptive observational study conducted among a randomly selected sample of 360 health workers who managed malnutrition among children aged 5 years and below. Ten (10) Primary healthcare facilities and 5 private hospitals were randomly selected across the 8 local government areas in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Data was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The level of significance was determined using a confidence interval of 95% and a P-Value less than 0.05.

Results: the majority 355 (98.6%) of the respondents were female, with the age group 25 to 34 years old accounting for the highest proportion of participants 160 (44.4%). Doctors 53 (14.8%), Registered Nurses 171 (47.8%), and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) 73 (20.3%) were the major categories of the health workers that participated in this study. Two-hundred and seventeen (60.3%) of the health workers claimed that 33% (one-third) of the children they see at the clinic weekly are malnourished. In the management of malnutrition, majority (71.15%) of the malnourished children were managed using supplements and ready-to-use therapeutic foods. Other strategies include; formula (8.61%), and treating underlying illness (13.89%). The factors that affect the eradication of malnutrition were found to include beliefs (19%), socioeconomic status of parents and caregivers of the children (18%), food insecurity (23%), immune factors (15%), and malnutrition in form of poor dietary habits (25%).

Conclusion: Ready-to-use therapeutic foods was the major strategy employed in the management of malnutrition in children in Bayelsa State. Malnutrition, food insecurity Cultural beliefs were factors that affect the eradication of malnutrition.