Association between wasting and feeding practices consumption during 24 hours recall among children aged 6-23 in Cambodia: Analysis of Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2014

INTRODUCTIONWorld Health Organization (WHO), defines wasting as a childs weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) below minus 2 SD of the Childs Growth Standards. In Cambodia, the prevalence of wasting among children under five years old increased from 8% in 2005 to 10% in 2014. The WHO divided food into seven categories, including staple foods, legumes, milk, meat, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. It was advised to consume at least four of these categories daily. According to data from the 2014 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS), 48% of kids between the ages of six and 23 months consumed at least four food groups. We aimed to identify the association between feeding practices consumption and wasting in Cambodian children aged 6-23 months. METHODSWe used existing childrens data from CDHS 2014, two-stage stratified cluster sampling approach to select samples. Data analysis was done by using STATA V16 Survey weights were applied to account for the complex survey design of the CDHS. Descriptive statistics were estimated for key children characteristics, maternal, and household characteristics, geographical regions, and feeding practice consumption. We ran bivariate and multiple logistic regressions to assess the association between wasting and feeding practices consumption in children aged 6-23 months. RESULTSA total of 1,415 children aged 6-23 months were eligible for the study. This study did not find an association between wasting and feeding practices consumption. In contrast, children aged 9-11 months had 2.3 times of wasting [AOR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.0-5.0] compared to children aged 6-8 months. When compared to mothers aged 15-19 years, children born from mothers aged 20-34 years and 35-49 years were protected from 60% of wasting [AOR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.2-0.6] and [AOR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1-0.7], respectively. When compared to children from better-off households, children from the poorest and poorer wealthiest households wasted twice as much time [AOR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.1-3.5]. CONCLUSIONThese findings indicate that feeding practices consumption is not significantly associated with wasting in young children aged 6-23 months in Cambodia. It was found in other studies. Children aged 9-11 months and children from the poorest households were the main predictors of child mortality. However, mothers aged 20-49 years old had decreased odds of wasting. Therefore, it is recommended that interventions and policymakers prioritize promoting diverse food consumption among children in Cambodia. Furthermore, interventions to reduce wasting among children aged 6 to 11 months, children from the lowest household quintile, and children of young mothers should be prioritized.