Public Health Implications of Malnutrition in Under-Five Children in Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria

The importance of malnutrition regardless of its cause is due to its consequences, this is because undernutrition is one of the utmost significant universal health problems, and it affects a large number of children in developing countries including Nigeria. It is, therefore, no gainsaying that malnutrition is a multi-dimensional entity. This study was therefore initiated to investigate the public health implications of malnutrition in under-five children in Barkin Ladi LGA. To effectively understand the effects of malnutrition in under-five children, three research objectives were outlined. Thus, identify the causes of malnutrition in under-five children, identify the public health implications of malnutrition in under-five children, and examine the feasible measures as a way of recommendation towards solving the incidence of malnutrition in under-five children in Barkin Ladi LGA. The works of prominent authors including the World Health Organization, amongst others were reviewed in line with the stated objectives. Data were collected both qualitatively and quantitatively using a multistage cluster sampling technique was adopted to select the communities. Seven villages were randomly selected by balloting. Clusters of 93 Centers were selected from these seven villages. This study identifies certain risk factors, (including poor hygiene, diet-related non-communicable diseases, mortality among others), which were found to be significantly higher in children with malnutrition compared to normal children. The study also found that the educational status, as well as the economic status of the parents, was associated with the nutritional status of the child. The study recommends both short and long-term measures that include family planning education, improve the provision of infrastructural facilities to rural communities and security of lives and properties