Abstract
Background: In Ethiopia, stunting is one of the most important public health problems. It affects human capital and productivity in several dimensions like impairing learning potential, increased economic costs to health systems and families. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with stunting among children 6-59months in pastoralist communities of Bale Zone, south-east Ethiopia. Methods: A community- based cross-sectional study design was executed involving 657 children paired with their mothers. A structured questionnaire was administered. Anthropometry was conducted on children following standard procedures. A stepwise logistic regression with backward elimination method was used to identify factors associated stunting. Adjusted odd ratios with 95% confidence interval and p-value of ≤ 0.05 were used to assess level of significance. Results: prevalence of stunting was 43.2 (95% CI: 39.9–47.5). Male children (AOR=3.5, 95%CI, 1.59 -7.71), mothers with primary education level (AOR=8.8 ,95%CI, 7.36 -9.19), and bottle feeding practice (AOR: 3.7, 95%CI, 1.74 -7.69) were positively associated with child stunting, whereas colostrum’s feeding practice(AOR:0.14, 95% CI, 0.06 -0.32),improved source of drinking water(AOR=0.3, 95%CI: 0.11-0.71), exclusively breast feeding (AOR: 0.4 [95%CI, 0.20 -0.92), timely of complimentary feeding initiation(AOR: 0.04, 95%CI 0.00, 0.01), growth monitoring follow up (AOR=0.3 [95%CI, 0.13 -0.59), were showed negative association. Conclusion: Prevalence of stunting was high. Therefore, due attention has to be given on child nutritional education, safe drinking water supply, and promotion of community-based growth monitoring in order to in order to end stunting in children by 2030.