Malnutrition Among Under-Five Children in Ethiopia: Decomposing Rural-Urban Gaps

In Ethiopia, the prevalence of child malnutrition is high and relatively well‑documented. However, less is known about the factors that affect rural-urban child malnutrition gaps. This study aims to identify the factors that affect rural-urban child malnutrition gaps in Ethiopia using data from the fourth round of the Ethiopian demographic health survey, 2016. The data were analysed using a logistic regression-based Oaxaca‑Blinder decomposition technique to identify the effect of the individual covariates on the rural-urban child malnutrition gaps. The findings of the result indicate that there were significant disparities in underweight and stunting prevalence rates for under-five children between urban and rural areas. Compared to urban households, rural households had a higher proportion of malnourished children. The results indicate that parental education and economic status of the household were the major factors affecting the rural‑urban child malnutrition gaps. To minimise the rural‑urban child malnutrition gaps, this study suggests that much emphasis should be given to the majority rural poor. By identifying and addressing the determinant factors behind the rural-urban child malnutrition gaps, the findings of this study could help in designing effective intervention measures aimed at reducing the rural-urban gaps in child malnutrition and enhancing population health outcomes.