Stunting and Its Risk Factors in Under Age Five Children in Ogun State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Nigeria has the second-highest prevalence of stunting in children under five in the world. Stunting can have long-term effects on development, performance, and productivity, and it is, therefore, important to assess who is most at risk so that interventions can be better targeted. The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of stunting in under age five children in Ogun State, Nigeria, and its relationship with age, sex, maternal education, household income, and residence type. Methods: We used cross-sectional secondary data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey to assess the prevalence of stunting and establish if and how stunting is related to the children’s age, sex, household income, maternal education, and type of residence. We included data on age, sex, height/length, maternal education, household income, and type of place of residence of 274 children, aged 0-59 months. Stunting was calculated using the online version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro Survey Analyser. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (v.25). Results: The prevalence of stunting was 23%. Stunting was significantly associated with age (p=0.001). The odds of stunting were significantly highest in children aged 36-47 months (OR 22.61, 95%CI: 2.81, 181.93) relative to other age groups. Stunting was not significantly associated with sex (p=0.079), maternal education (p=0.079), household income (p=0.183) or type of place of residence (p=0.299). Conclusions: Whilst the prevalence of stunting in children aged under five in Ogun State is lower than the average prevalence of stunting in Nigeria, it is still medium according to WHO classification. Intensive nutrition interventions should be targeted to children aged 3-5 years to reduce the stunting prevalence.