Association between malaria and severe acute malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months in the pediatric ward of the Somine Dolo hospital in Mopti in 2022

Abstract

ntroduction: The aim of our study was to establish the link between malaria and severe acute malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months in the pediatric ward of the Somine Dolo Hospital in Mopti from 1 January to 31 December 2022.Materiel et Methodes: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of all children aged 0-59 months hospitalised for malnutrition in the pediatrics department of the Somine Dolo Hospital in Mopti during the study period. It was a study to establish the existence of a relationship between malaria and malnutrition. Nutritional status was determined by anthropometric measurements. The chi-square test was used to determine statistical relationships. The agreement of the hospital's administrative authorities to conduct the study was required beforehand, and ethical considerations were respected.Results: Of the 108 children aged 0-59 months in our study, 58.3% were male and 44.4% were aged 12-36 months. Among the malnourished children, 81.4% had uneducated parents, 31.5% of the malnourished children had not benefited from the expanded program on immunization and we found no statistically significant association between malaria and malnutrition with a p = 0.07.Conclusion: Our results showed that the association between malaria and severe acute malnutrition in children aged 0-59 months was high and constitutes a public health problem.