Determinants of Vitamin A deficiency among children under five years attending Borama General Hospital in Borama district, awdal, Somaliland

Abstract

This study investigated the determinants of vitamin A deficiency among children under five years attending Borama General Hospital in Borama District, Somaliland. Specifically, it assessed the influence of maternal knowledge, parental socio-economic status, and cultural factors on the vitamin A status of children. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a stratified random sample of 108 mothers. Data were analysed using chi-square tests to determine associations between the selected determinants and vitamin A deficiency. The findings showed that parental socioeconomic status had a significant effect on vitamin A deficiency (χ² = 11.401, df = 4, P = 0.022), whereas maternal knowledge (χ² = 7.174, df = 4, P = 0.127) and cultural factors (χ² = 10.990, df = 2, P = 0.216) were not significantly associated with vitamin A status. The study concludes that household socioeconomic conditions are the primary determinants of vitamin A deficiency in children under five in Borama District. It recommends the interventions aimed at improving parental education, income, and occupation to reduce the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and suggests further research to investigate barriers to uptake of vitamin A supplementation among mothers.