ABSTRACT
Background: The health status of children is considered a very important and vital factor for building the future of a growing nation. Good nutrition is the bedrock of child survival, growth, and development. This study assessed the morbidity pattern and nutritional status of children presenting at the University of Benin Health Centre in Benin City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among children 0 – 17 years presenting at University of Benin Health Centre in Benin City from June 2023 to January 2024. Stratified sampling method was used for selecting the 400 children who participated in the study. Data was collected from respondents using interviewer–based questionnaire containing both open ended and close ended questions. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Ethical approval was obtained from Ethics and Research Committee, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Results: A total 400 out of 405 questionnaires administered were retrieved and analyzed, giving a response rate of 98.8%. There were 195 (48.8%) male respondents and 205 (51.2%) female respondents with mean age of 9.9 ± 5.0 years. The study revealed that fever 308 (77.0%), headaches 150 (37.5%), catarrh 131 (32.8%) and cough 121 (30.3%) were the most frequent presenting complaints. Malaria 188 (47.0%), upper respiratory tract infection 98 (24.5%), acute watery diarrhea 40 (10.0%) and tonsillitis 18 (4.5%) were the most frequent diagnoses. Most of the children were of normal weight 356 (89.0%), underweight 18 (4.5%), overweight 22 (5.5%) and obese 4 (1.0%) made up the rest. Mode of management of illness was the only statistically significant factor associated with the nutritional status of the children, with undernourished xiii children being more likely to require inpatient care 9 (18.0%). Children whose mothers had tertiary level of education were (AOR 1.388, 95% CI = 0.384 – 5.024, p = 0.617) times more likely to have normal weight than children whose mothers had primary education. A child’s father being on skill level 3, (AOR 0.196, 95% CI = 0.047 – 0.813, p = 0.019) and skill level 4, (AOR 0.836, 95% CI = = 0.427 – 1.636, p = 0.036 were statistically significant predictors of nutritional status. Children with diarrheal diseases had a higher prevalence of being underweight 3 (7.5%), which was not statistically significant. Undernourished children required inpatient care 9 (18.0%) more than well-nourished children.
