Health seeking and hygiene behaviours predict nutritional status of pre-school children in a slum area of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was done from March to May 1997 in four selected sl um kebeles (villages) of Addis Ababa in which nutritional status of 758 chi ldren aged 6 to 36 months was examined and stratified into malnourished and well nourished groups. Analysis of hygiene and health seeking practices of randomly selected households of the two sets of children determined practi ces that significantly exacerbate childhood malnutrition. The rates of immu nization for the malnourished (80.2%) and well nourished households (77.6%) were practically the same. No significant difference was found in the prev alence of home treatment or food withholding habits at times of diarrhoea e pisodes between the two, groups. The study established six: variables to pr edict childhood malnutrition in the slum Section of Addis Ababa: I) presenc e of child waste inside house (Odds Ratio = 7.44; p < 0.0001, 2) diarrhoea treatment at the hospital (OR = 0.47;p < 0.05), 3) prolonged storage of coo ked foods (OR = 2.86 ;p < 0.05), 4) feeding with washed hands (OR = 0.44; p < 0.01), and 5)poor handling of drinking wafer (OR = 3.18; p < 0.01) and 6 ) foods'(OR = 3.52; p < 0.01). Hence strong and: sustainable advice with a view of changing the behaviours of households towards good personal and hou sehold hygiene practices, and increased utilization of health settings is r ecommended as these may limit the overall success of public health programm es.