Health-related quality of life among parents of malnourished children under five in Herat, Afghanistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: Malnutrition in children under five remains a major public health problem in Afghanistan, driven by poverty, conflict, food insecurity, and limited health services. Although child outcomes are widely studied, the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of caregivers has received less attention. This study evaluated HRQoL among parents of malnourished under-five children in Herat and identified socio-demographic factors associated with physical and mental health outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 531 parents/caregivers attending nutrition and child health services in Herat. Eligible participants were adults (≥18 years) accompanying children diagnosed with acute malnutrition using MUAC criteria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and the validated Dari version of the SF-36. Domain scores were transformed to a 0–100 scale (higher scores indicate better HRQoL). Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) were examined using multiple linear regression in SPSS v27, with significance set at p