INVESTIGATING HOW FLOODS EXPOSURE EXACERBATE POOR NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN CHILDREN, A CASE STUDY IN CHIKWAWA DISTRICT

Floods have become more common in the lower shire areas of Southern Malawi as a result of climate change. Chikhwawa district face flood events yearly, and this has led more households to suffer from poor living standards and requiring humanitarian support from various government and non-governmental agencies during the disaster. Although, Malawi has put more effort in improving child survival and maternal health. In flood-prone areas of Chikwawa district, little is being done in terms of nutrition support for children under the age of five. Hence, the Study aimed to understand the influence of floods on nutrition status of under5 children.
The study used a cross-section approach in which 20 households with children aged 6 and 5 months were targeted through face-to-face interviews in the two villages (flood prone and non-flooded) respectively. Furthermore, the study enrolled 20 primary care givers of under 5 children each from flood prone and non-flood prone areas. 90% of flooded households had a poor level of food consumption during floods. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 26.0, descriptive statistics were conducted, and Chi-square test (or fishers Exact test) was used to compare the variables between the groups. Findings show that more children in flooded households are prone to suffering from malnutrition. In which 90% of flooded households have poor diet during floods.
This study has generated evidence that supports the existing ideology that relates flooding events to nutritional deficiencies in under 5 children. The study recommends that long-term malnutrition prevention programs should be implemented to assist households with under 5 children in flood prone areas in Chikhwawa district. Nevertheless, the study used a small sample size; therefore, further studies with larger sample size should be conducted for a more representation outcome.