The burden of stunting during early childhood: a study of children aged 6–23 months in Endamekoni District, Tigray, Ethiopia 2024

Chronic malnutrition is one of the leading global health concerns and is commonly measured by stunting. Although national studies have documented the high prevalence of stunting, there is limited evidence on its specific magnitude and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in Endamekoni District. Localized studies are essential for understanding context-specific determinants of stunting. To assess the magnitude and associated factors of stunting among children aged 6–23 months in Endamekoni District, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia, 2024. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 5, 2024, to July 10, 2024. Systematic random sampling was used to select 633 pairs of mothers/caregivers and their children aged 6 to 23 months. The data were checked, coded, and entered into double data entry of Epi data version-7, then exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Statistical significance was declared at a P-value of < 0.05. The magnitude of stunting among children aged 6–23 months was 42.3% (n = 268). Significant factors associated with stunting included: male sex (AOR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.09–4.33), rural residence (AOR = 2.91; 95% CI: 1.05–8.04), maternal formal education (AOR = 0.14; 95% CI: 0.06–0.35), housewife mothers (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.07–0.50), farmer mothers (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.04–0.23), household income > 1000 ETB (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.02–0.55), maternal illness (AOR = 2.29; 95% CI: 1.08–4.86), child illness (AOR = 3.34; 95% CI: 1.62–6.91) and availability of functional latrine (AOR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.09–0.65). The prevalence of stunting was 42.3%, which exceeds the WHO threshold for public health significance and the national average. Stunting was significantly associated with sex of the child, residence, education, occupation, monthly household income (> 1000 ETB), maternal illness encountered after delivery, child illness encountered in the last two weeks, and availability of functional latrine. Therefore, interventions should focus on maternal education, income-generating support for mothers, enhancing access to healthcare services, and strengthening sanitation infrastructure to reduce stunting.