TY - JOUR
T1 - Secular trends in low birth weight and child undernutrition in West Africa
T2 - evidence from complex nationwide surveys, 1985-2019
AU - Dwomoh, Duah
AU - Sewor, Christian
AU - Mohammed, Seidu Awal
AU - Annim, Samuel
AU - Stranges, Saverio
AU - Kandala, Ngianga-Bakwin
AU - Amegah, A Kofi
N1 - Financial support: The study was funded by The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) under the Grand Challenges Africa Data Science Approaches to Improve Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in Africa Round 6 call (Grant Number: GCA/MNCH/round6/036). The funder was not involved in the study design, conduct of the study, analysis of the data, interpretation of findings and preparation of manuscript.
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - OBJECTIVE: We present prevalence estimates and secular trends of stunting, wasting, underweight, and anaemia among children under 5 years of age and low birth weight (LBW) over the period 1985-2019 in West Africa (WA).DESIGN: Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and World Bank data. DerSimonian-Laird random effect model with the Knapp-Hartung adjustment to the standard error was used to derive overall prevalence estimates. We used fixed effect ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard error to conduct time trends analyses.SETTING: West Africa.PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 0 to 59 months.RESULTS: Three distinct periods (1986-1990, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000) of sharp increases in prevalence of all outcomes was observed. After the year 2000, prevalence of all outcomes except LBW started to decline with some fluctuations. LBW prevalence showed a steady increase after 2000. We observed a decline in prevalence of stunting (β = -0·20 %; 95 % CI -0·43 %, 0·03 %), log-wasting (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·02 %, -0·01 %), log-underweight (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·03 %, -0·01 %) anaemia (β = -0·44; 95 % CI -0·55 %, -0·34 %), and an increase in LBW (β = 0·06 %; 95 % CI -0·10 %, 0·22 %) in WA over the period. Pooled prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, anaemia and LBW in WA for the period 1985-2019 was 26·1 %, 16·4 %, 22·7 %, 76·2 % and 11·3 %, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Child undernutrition prevalence varied greatly between countries and the year cohorts. We observed marginal reductions in prevalence of all outcomes except anaemia where the reductions were quite striking and LBW where an increase was noted. There is the need for more rigorous and sustained targeted interventions in WA.
AB - OBJECTIVE: We present prevalence estimates and secular trends of stunting, wasting, underweight, and anaemia among children under 5 years of age and low birth weight (LBW) over the period 1985-2019 in West Africa (WA).DESIGN: Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and World Bank data. DerSimonian-Laird random effect model with the Knapp-Hartung adjustment to the standard error was used to derive overall prevalence estimates. We used fixed effect ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard error to conduct time trends analyses.SETTING: West Africa.PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 0 to 59 months.RESULTS: Three distinct periods (1986-1990, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000) of sharp increases in prevalence of all outcomes was observed. After the year 2000, prevalence of all outcomes except LBW started to decline with some fluctuations. LBW prevalence showed a steady increase after 2000. We observed a decline in prevalence of stunting (β = -0·20 %; 95 % CI -0·43 %, 0·03 %), log-wasting (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·02 %, -0·01 %), log-underweight (β = -0·02 %; 95 % CI -0·03 %, -0·01 %) anaemia (β = -0·44; 95 % CI -0·55 %, -0·34 %), and an increase in LBW (β = 0·06 %; 95 % CI -0·10 %, 0·22 %) in WA over the period. Pooled prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, anaemia and LBW in WA for the period 1985-2019 was 26·1 %, 16·4 %, 22·7 %, 76·2 % and 11·3 %, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Child undernutrition prevalence varied greatly between countries and the year cohorts. We observed marginal reductions in prevalence of all outcomes except anaemia where the reductions were quite striking and LBW where an increase was noted. There is the need for more rigorous and sustained targeted interventions in WA.
UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35039103
U2 - 10.1017/S1368980022000155
DO - 10.1017/S1368980022000155
M3 - Article
C2 - 35039103
SN - 1368-9800
VL - 25
SP - 2358
EP - 2370
JO - Public Health Nutrition
JF - Public Health Nutrition
IS - 9
M1 - 2358-2370
ER -