Nutritional status of under-5 Rohingya children admitted for diarrheal diseases in primary health centers in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Background One of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in under-5 children is Diarrhea. Malnutrition, in association with the diarrheal disease, affects children negatively. In 2018, Bangladesh saw a massive influx of Rohingya people, with almost 29% of under-5 children. Objectives This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of under-5 Rohingya children admitted with acute diarrheal diseases at the primary health centers at Cox’s Bazar. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among the diarrhea affected under-5 Rohingya children who reported to primary health centers at cox’s bazar. The study was conducted from January to December 2018. The primary caregivers of 276 children who were affected with diarrhea were the respondents. Data were collected by face-to-face interview and record review using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist respectively. All ethical issues were maintained strictly. Results The majority (60.1%) of the participants were male. Only 2.9% of the participants reported passing of visible blood in stool. Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) was not taken by most of the participants (50.7%) before visit to the hospital. The mean (±SD) age was 18.54 (±12.44) months. Among the participants, 41.3% had underweight (<-2 WAZ score). Statistically, a significant relationship was found between the age of the participants and underweight (p<0.05) with a moderate effect size (Φ=0.21). Conclusion The study findings would be helpful to identify the need for raising awareness among caregivers of under-5 children regarding the use for ORS and contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition and diarrhea, and improving their overall health outcomes.