Dataset Information

Preparedness to Combat Determinants of Underweight-Based Child Malnutrition in Flood-Affected Areas of Pakistan.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Floods badly impact the food and nutrition security in developing countries. The role of the government and the impact of floods on the underweight status of children in the affected areas is not clear. We aimed to find the determinants of underweight in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Methods

We used a multistage sampling technique and selected 656 households during in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan. Data were collected in the three most affected districts. A validated questionnaire was used to find socioeconomic and demographic information, hygiene, and sanitation information. We used logistic regression to find the determinants of underweight, controlling for confounders.

Results

The prevalence of global malnutrition based on underweight was 25.2%. The prevalence of underweight was higher in young age mothers (40.6%), younger age children (71.4%), large family size (28.4%), joint family (27%), and no toilet facility (28.9%). District Nowshera was at high risk of underweight based undernutrition, followed by district Charsadda compared to children belonging to Dera Ismail Khan. The significant risk factor that causes underweight was child lower age (p < 0.01), young age of mothers (p < 0.01), children access to unimproved water sources (p < 0.01), and location (districts) due to environmental and constant flood consequences (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

In conclusion, risk factors of underweight should be appropriately targeted in the flood-hit areas of Pakistan. Governments should preallocate budgetary resources and enhance the emergency preparedness levels to facilitate the communities with flooding incidents and their aftermath in the shape of child underweight-based malnutrition.

SUBMITTER: Haq IU

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8807031 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Preparedness to Combat Determinants of Underweight-Based Child Malnutrition in Flood-Affected Areas of Pakistan.

Haq Ijaz Ul IU He Xiang X Mujahid Abdul Majid AM Ibrahim Hira H Mehmood Zafar Z Shah Jahan J Ahmed Bilal B Khan Amjad A Zakki Shahbaz Ahmad SA Haq Ihtisham Ul IU Shahzad Muhammad M Muhammad Javed J Xu Jielian J Ahmed Saeed S Sohail Muhammad M Sohail Muhammad M Miao Jing J

BioMed research international 20220125

<h4>Aims</h4>Floods badly impact the food and nutrition security in developing countries. The role of the government and the impact of floods on the underweight status of children in the affected areas is not clear. We aimed to find the determinants of underweight in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.<h4>Methods</h4>We used a multistage sampling technique and selected 656 households during in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan. Data were collected in the three most affected ...[more]

PMID: 35118157

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Project description:IntroductionAccording to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the fifth-most vulnerable country to climate change. Most recently, during June-August 2022, heavy torrential rains coupled with riverine, urban, and flash flooding led to an unprecedented disaster in Pakistan. Around thirty-three million people were affected by the floods. More than 2 million houses were damaged, leaving approximately 8 million displaced and approximately 600,000 people in relief camps. Among those, 8.2 million women and 16 million children are the worst affected, with many requiring urgent medical and reproductive healthcare. To plan an efficient healthcare program and a climate-resilient health system, it is crucial to understand the issues that the affected people face during floods. Methodology. This rapid assessment included the population in the most severely affected districts across the four provinces of Pakistan. A mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative techniques was utilized. A total of 52 qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with community-level healthcare providers, national and provincial government departments, and development partners involved in relief activities. Using a structured questionnaire, the quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with a final sample of 422 women, married and unmarried (15-49 years old), residing in the relief camps in the flood-affected areas. The outcome variable of the survey was the access to sexual and reproductive health services faced by the women in the flood-affected districts. Data collection took place four months postfloods during Nov-Dec 2022, while the data analysis was conducted between Dec 2022 and Jan 2023. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 20, and qualitative data was analyzed using NVivo 12. Ethical consent was sought from all the participants. Ethical approval was also sought from the ethics committee of the Health Services Academy, Government of Pakistan.ResultsThe findings indicated that, overall, all the provinces were unprepared for a calamity of such a large magnitude. Access to services and health data reporting from the flood-affected areas was challenging mainly due to a shortage of trained health workforce because of the displacement of a large volume of the health workforce. Overall, equipment, medicines, supplies, and food were scarce. Women residing in the camps were markedly affected, and 84% (375) were not satisfied with the flood relief services provided to them. The floods impacted their monthly income as 30% (132) of respondents started depending on charity postfloods. Almost 77% (344) reported limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and had yet to receive sanitary, hygiene, and delivery kits, while 69% (107 out of 154) of girls stopped schooling postfloods. Almost 77% (112) of the married women reported having a child less than one year of age. Yet, only 30% (44 out of 144 currently married women) were using any form of family planning method-damage to the health facilities affected access to overall maternal care services.ConclusionThe findings concluded that there was no planning for sexual and reproductive health services in the flood-affected areas. Several barriers were identified. The government and development partners needed to prepare to cater to women's needs during the floods. The findings highlight the need for collaborative efforts between the government, civil society, and development partners to address the challenges faced in disaster management and strengthen disaster management capacity.

Project description:There is minimal literature regarding micronutrient deficiencies in flood-affected regions. In our study, we aimed to find the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (vitamin A, calcium, zinc, iron, and iodine) among preschool and school-age children in flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In this cross-sectional study, a multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection of 656 households. Serum micronutrient status was detected in the targeted population in the affected districts. The least significant difference test was used with analysis of variance to determine significant differences in nutrient contents in different areas. Of the total respondents, 90.8% of the children were calcium deficient, 88.3% were zinc deficient, 26.7% were iron deficient, 53.5% were vitamin A deficient, and 39.5% were had an iodine deficiency in flood-affected areas. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in different age groups of children for zinc (5.7-42.63 μg/dL) and urinary iodine (69.6-85.4 μg/L). The 10- to 12-year-old age group had a lower serum zinc concentration (5.7 μg/dL), whereas the 1- to 3-year-old age group had a lower urinary iodine concentration (69.6 μg/L) than other groups. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between male and female children and various age groups for calcium and iron status. Vitamin A levels were significantly (P < 0.05) different among different age groups (high in age group 4-6 years) and districts. Vitamin A concentration was lower in the Nowshera District, whereas serum iron and zinc were lower in the Dera Ismail Khan District. All the important micronutrients in the population of children were deficient in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan. Therefore, policymakers should implement potential prevention strategies, such as food security, school health nutrition, food fortification, nutrition in the first 1,000 golden days, nutrition knowledge, and awareness of the local population, to reduce the burden of micronutrients deficiencies in flood-affected areas.

Dataset Information

Preparedness to Combat Determinants of Underweight-Based Child Malnutrition in Flood-Affected Areas of Pakistan.

Aims

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Preparedness to Combat Determinants of Underweight-Based Child Malnutrition in Flood-Affected Areas of Pakistan.

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