ABSTRACT
This study sought to investigate the patterns and incidences of malnutrition among children between the ages 1-8 years old in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo state. In order to effectively carry out this study, four research questions were raised. Two were answered while two were hypothesized and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and the population of the study consisted 60 pupils who were currently enrolled in the early childhood education programs in six primary schools in Oredo Local Government Area. The research instrument used was a questionnaire which was validated with reliability index of 0.86. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for research questions one and two, while the independent sample t-test was used for hypothesis one and two. The findings that emerged revealed that the patterns and incidences of malnutrition predominant in Oredo Local Government Area are stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight. Also, the patterns and incidences of malnutrition predominant in Oredo local government was to a high degree. In addition, a significant difference exists between the rural and urban children in terms of wasting and underweight as types of malnutrition. It was further revealed that there is a significant difference for children who eat fruits, vegetables, dairy products, staples and swallows in the rural and urban areas.
Based on the findings, it was recommended that targeted interventions that focus on improving access to nutritious food for vulnerable populations, especially in poverty-stricken areas should be implemented, community-based education programs should be established to raise awareness about proper nutrition and the importance of breastfeeding and supplementary feeding, strengthening the health care system by providing adequate training and resources to health care professionals is crucial.
