Factors associated with nutritional status of children in low and middle income countries in Southeast Asia: A multilevel analysis

The malnutrition of children in middle and low income countries has continued to be an important health and social issue. Malnutrition is responsible for about 45% of all deaths among under-5 children and affects the physical growth and logical development of children. The specific objectives of this study are: (i) to examine the association between significant risk factors and malnutrition of children aged under-5 years in low and middle income countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) dataset; (ii) to identify the presence of heterogeneity between studies; and (iii) to determine for any significant difference in factors associated with the chronic malnutrition status – stunted and non-stunted children. Samples were taken from the Demographic and Health Survey for the period from 2008 to 2017 in low and middle income countries across the Southeast Asia region. The multilevel linear regression method is used to identify factors that contribute to the malnutrition of children, and to determine variability in the studied countries. The multilevel study is expected to give a better picture to understand the true association between childhood malnutrition and its associated factors compared to a single level of analysis. Important risk factors associated to malnutrition of children in Southeast Asian low and middle income countries are expected to be identified.