Open this publication in new window or tab >>2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
Background: Undernutrition in children under five years old is a critical issue, particularly in internally displaced person (IDP) camps, where families face many challenges, including food insecurity, inadequate healthcare, poor hygiene, and suboptimal feeding practices. Interventions such as cash transfers and nutrition education have been implemented in various humanitarian settings to improve food security and caregiver knowledge, but their impact on child growth in IDP camps remains underexplored. Aim: The primary aim of this thesis was to assess the prevalence, risk, and protective factors associated with undernutrition in children under five living in IDP camps. This thesis also sought to evaluate household and child dietary diversity, infant and child feeding practices, and hygiene, as well as the impact of nutrition counselling (NC) and unconditional cash transfer (UCT) interventions on children’s undernutrition and household food security. Methods: The studies were conducted in three IDP camps in Somalia. Data were collected from 1,655 caregivers and 2,370 children aged 6–59 months using structured questionnaires based on the UNICEF/WHO guidelines on infant and young child feeding. Anthropometric measurements were taken to assess child nutritional status, and dietary diversity was evaluated using the Household Dietary Diversity Score and Child Dietary Diversity Score. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to identify the determinants of undernutrition. A quasi-experimental design was employed to assess the effects of NC and NC+UCT interventions. Results: The studies revealed high rates of underweight (24.5%), wasting (10.9%), stunting (38.3%), and concurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt, 4.14%). The vast majority of households (95.6%) achieved adequate dietary diversity, whereas less than half of the children (43.3%) achieved adequate diversity. The risk factors for undernutrition included poor maternal health, lack of antenatal care, household food insecurity, and poor hygiene practices. Protective factors included timely complementary feeding, maternal decision-making autonomy, and adequate household food security. The NC and NC+UCT interventions did not significantly affect child growth or food security. Conclusion: This thesis underscores the importance of addressing the multiple factors contributing to undernutrition in IDP camps, including feeding practices, hygiene, and dietary diversity. Sustainable interventions focused on maternal education, improved hygiene, and better child dietary diversity are critical for reducing undernutrition and improving child health in IDP settings.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Falun: Dalarna University, 2025
Series
Dalarna Doctoral Dissertations ; 44
Keywords
Malnutrition, IDP camps, Nutrition counselling, Cash transfers, Food security, Somalia
National Category
Nursing
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:du-50423 (URN)978-91-88679-95-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-08-25, at the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi, Kenya and online, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
2025-06-162025-04-032025-10-09Bibliographically approved