Risk factors for severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months enrolled in the CMAM program at Al-Sabeen Hospital, Sana'a City, Yemen.

@article{hafedh2026risk,
  title = {{Risk factors for severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months enrolled in the CMAM program at Al-Sabeen Hospital, Sana'a City, Yemen.}},
  author = {Ghaida'a Ibrahim Ahmed Hafedh and Nabil Ahmed Ahmed Al-Rabeei and Aisha Faisal Ahmed Al-Wadhaf and Lina Saeed Saif Al-Sofiani and Elham Haider Yusef Al-Jadi and Wail Ahmed Naji and Abdulsalam Saif Qasim},
  journal = {BMC public health},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-28666-6},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894169},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Risk factors for severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months enrolled in the CMAM program at Al-Sabeen Hospital, Sana'a City, Yemen.
AU  - Ghaida'a Ibrahim Ahmed Hafedh
AU  - Nabil Ahmed Ahmed Al-Rabeei
AU  - Aisha Faisal Ahmed Al-Wadhaf
AU  - Lina Saeed Saif Al-Sofiani
AU  - Elham Haider Yusef Al-Jadi
AU  - Wail Ahmed Naji
AU  - Abdulsalam Saif Qasim
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/01
JO  - BMC public health
DO  - 10.1186/s12889-026-28666-6
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894169
AB  - Background  Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remains a major public health problem among children under five years of age in Yemen. Evidence on factors associated with SAM in Sana'a City, particularly among children enrolled in community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) program is limited. The aim of this study is to assess factors associated with SAM among children aged 6-59 months at Al-Sabeen Hospital, Sana'a City, Yemen.Methods  A facility-based frequency-matched case-control study was conducted among 194 children aged 6-59 months (65 cases and 129 controls). Cases were children diagnosed with SAM and enrolled in the CMAM program, while controls were non-malnourished children attending routine services at the same hospital. Data were collected using caregiver interviews and medical record review. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Crude odds ratios(CORs) and adjusted odds ratios(AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. P-value < 0.05 was significant.Results  Several factors were independently associated with higher odds of SAM. Children living in rural areas (AOR = 4.62; 95%CI: 2.03-10.51), those with low birth weight (LBW) (AOR = 3.48; 95%CI:1.67-7.26). Recurrent diarrhoea (AOR = 3.11; 95%CI: 1.51-6.41), anorexia (AOR = 8.71; 95%CI: 3.11-24.42), and intractable vomiting (AOR = 4.92; 95%CI: 2.03-11.91) had higher odds of SAM. Non-exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 2.47; 95%CI: 1.21-5.05), low dairy intake (AOR = 2.95; 95%CI: 1.44-6.07), inadequate vegetable consumption (AOR = 2.44; 95%CI: 1.12-5.31), lack of caregiver handwashing after handling child feces (AOR = 5.86; 95%CI: 1.41-24.39), and incomplete pentavalent vaccination (AOR = 3.21; 95%CI: 1.44-7.14) were also independently associated with SAM.Conclusions  SAM among children in this setting was independently associated with rural residence, LBW, suboptimal feeding practices, poor hygiene practices, incomplete vaccination, and selected clinical conditions identified at the time of assessment. These findings highlight the need for integrated nutrition, health, and preventive interventions in high-burden settings.
SN  - 1471-2458
ER  -