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Background: wasting free children is one of the goals of global health. However, wasting remains high in developing countries, including Ethiopia. In our community, the disparity in wasting among children between gold mining and non-gold mining areas is not yet known. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of wasting and its associated factors among children aged 6–59 months. Methods and Materials: - A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on a sample of 277 children aged 6-59 months and their mothers/care givers from February to April 2025. A simple random sampling method was used to select the participants from a list of kebeles to be taken from woredas. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Anthropometric measurements (MUAC, weight and height) of the children were obtained, and nutritional status of children will be analyzed by WHO Anthro version 3.1.0. Epi-data 4.6 was used for data entry and exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between independent and dependent variables. Result: The prevalence of wasting among children aged 6–59 months in non-gold mining communities was 10.8% (95% CI: 6.1–16.9), whereas in traditional gold mining communities, it was 20.3% (95% CI: 13.0–27.2). In traditional gold mining communities multiple under-five children (AOR = 4.53, 95% CI: 1.42–14.45), have no latrine (AOR = 8.15, 95% CI: 2.09–31.75) and food insecurity (AOR = 7.25, 95% CI: 1.89–27.70) whereas in non-gold mining communities age of children 6–23 months (AOR = 4.18, 95% CI: 1.21–14.37), having three under-five children (AOR = 6.9, 95% CI: 1.45–33.27) and poor individual dietary diversity (AOR = 4.81, 95% CI: 1.37–16.93) were significantly associated with child wasting among children’s aged 6-59 months . Conclusion and Recommendation: Wasting prevalence was higher among children in traditional gold mining communities. The number of under-five children was significantly associated with wasting in both settings. Having a latrine and food insecurity were significant factors in traditional gold mining communities, while child’s age and individual dietary diversity were significant in non-gold mining communities. Addressing those factors was recommended to improve the prevalence of wasting among children.
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