Mother’s Health Seeking Behavior for Children Under Five and Child Nutritional Status in Liberia

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is prevalent among children in developing countries, with malnourished children facing higher risks of severe illness and mortality. Understanding health-seeking behaviour of mothers and the nutritional status of children under five is essential to addressing mortality due to malnutrition. This study aimed to investigate health-seeking behaviours of mothers and nutritional status among children under five in Liberia. Methods: This analysis used data from the 2019-2020 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS), using a nationally representative survey of 2,566 children under five. The LDHS employed a two-stage stratified sampling method, selecting Enumerator Areas with probability-proportional-to-size. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize child-mother characteristics and stunting status, while binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the associations between health-seeking behaviour, household wealth, and stunting, at a 95% confidence level. Results: The stunting prevalence among Liberian children was 24.1%. Children from wealthier households had significantly lower odds of stunting compared to those from the poorest households (aOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04-0.47, p = 0.002). Additionally, children who were breastfed had lower odds of stunting (aOR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49-0.95, p = 0.024). No significant associations were found between stunting and treatment-seeking behavior for common illnesses (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.81-1.54, p = 0.512) or maternal education at secondary (aOR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.52-1.35, p = 0.472) and tertiary levels (aOR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.07-5.70, p = 0.698). Conclusion: Household wealth and breastfeeding practices significantly influenced stunting outcomes, highlighting the need for a multifaceted approach to child nutrition that addresses socioeconomic factors alongside timely healthcare and early nutrition interventions for children under five.