Assessment of Nutritional Status of Under-Five Children Attending Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Maiduguri

Background: Undernutrition among children under five years remains a major public health burden in conflict-affected areas of the North East geopolitical zone, contributing substantially to childhood morbidity and mortality. This study assesses the nutritional status of under-five children attending maternal and child health clinics in Maiduguri, Borno State. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 mother-child pairs. Anthropometric measurements including weight-for-age, height-for-age, and mid-upper arm circumference were taken and interpreted using WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards. Feeding and dietary histories were obtained. Results: Stunting was the most prevalent form of undernutrition, followed by wasting and underweight. Exclusive breastfeeding rates were suboptimal. Displacement and food insecurity were strongly associated with severe acute malnutrition. Conclusion: The nutritional crisis among under-five children in Maiduguri demands urgent integration of nutritional assessment into routine family medicine practice. Emergency nutrition programmes should be scaled up, and family medicine practitioners should take an active role in early detection and referral of malnourished children. Keywords: malnutrition, under-five children, stunting, Maiduguri, nutritional assessment