Prevalence of Malnutrition and Its Associated Factors Among Children in the 5–15 Years Age Group: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study From Selected Rural Areas of Khordha District, Odisha

Introduction Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents throughout the world. Various factors, including socio-demographic characteristics, poor feeding practices, and childhood diseases, contribute to malnutrition. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its associated factors among 5 to 15-year-old children of selected rural areas of Khordha District, Odisha. Method A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among children in Simlipatana and Kujjimahal villages of Khordha district, Odisha. All eligible children (5 to 15 years of age) residing in both study areas were included in the sampling frame. A total of 380 participants were enrolled in the study, based on a 45% prevalence, using simple random sampling. Data were collected using participants' socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, the IAP growth chart app, and a validated questionnaire to assess factors associated with malnutrition. The data were analysed using SPSS software, version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results The study findings revealed that the prevalence of malnutrition was 41.3%, with 13.9% underweight, 12.9% overweight, 5.3% obese, and varying degrees of stunting. Among malnourished children, 56.32% were female, and nearly half (43.67%) were male. Malnutrition was significantly associated with sociodemographic factors like family type, income, parental education, and hygiene practices. Dietary intake patterns, such as consumption of milk, pulses, and fruits. Logistic regression analysis revealed that four key significant factors were associated with malnutrition of children, including large family size (odds ratio (OR) = 2.019, P < 0.003), poor hygiene (OR = 2.082, P < 0.006), lack of parental education (OR = 2.045, P < 0.003), and inadequate dietary intake (OR) = 2.115, P < 0.011). Conclusions The overall prevalence of malnutrition was 41.3%, and it decreased with age. Dietary patterns and sociodemographic profiles are significantly associated with the development of malnutrition.