Peer-reviewed article
Socio-economic and demographic determinants of undernutrition among 6-59 months old children living in Malawian stunting hotspots: a cross-sectional community study.
Patrick Ndovie, Smith G Nkhata, Numeri Geresomo, Robert Fungo, Vincent Nyau et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined the socio-economic and demographic factors associated with undernutrition (wasting, underweight, and stunting) among children aged 6-59 months in three high-burden districts of Malawi: Mzimba, Mchinji, and Mangochi. Researchers collected data from 1,275 caregiver-child pairs and used statistical analysis to identify risk and protective factors. The findings show that factors like parental occupation, household structure, vaccination status, and religious affiliation significantly influence different forms of child malnutrition. The study concludes that targeted interventions addressing livelihoods, vaccination coverage, and household conditions are needed to reduce undernutrition in these areas.
Key points
- Farming and business occupations were protective against wasting (AOR 0.023 and 0.001 respectively), while full vaccination reduced wasting risk (AOR 0.146)
- Muslim religious affiliation was strongly associated with increased wasting odds (AOR 71.284)
- Single-parent households showed significantly higher underweight risk (AOR 20.929) compared to other household types
- Full vaccination was unexpectedly associated with higher stunting odds (AOR 1.472), while unemployment increased stunting risk (AOR 2.339)
- Education and income showed no significant association with stunting despite being commonly cited determinants
Limitations
As a cross-sectional study, this work cannot establish causality or determine whether associations are causal or correlational. The unexpected finding regarding full vaccination and stunting requires further investigation to understand potential confounding or measurement issues.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a global burden, with 171 million under-five children stunted and 45% of child deaths linked to it. Despite high undernutrition such as stunting in Mchinji, Mangochi, and Mzimba, no study has focused on all three hot spots. This study examined socio-economic and demographic determinants of undernutrition among children aged 6-59 months, offering insights to guide targeted interventions in these areas. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of 1,275 caregiver-child pairs from Mzimba, Mchinji, and Mangochi used multi-stage sampling. Data were analyzed with Stata 17.0, employing descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to explore associations and identify determinants of malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months based on WHO Z-scores. RESULTS: The study identified socio-demographic factors influencing wasting, underweight, and stunting among children aged 6-59 months. Wasting was linked to occupation, marital status, household size, religious affiliation, and vaccination, with protective factors including farming (AOR = 0.023), business (AOR = 0.001), being single (AOR = 0.034), and full vaccination (AOR = 0.146), while Muslim affiliation increased odds (AOR = 71.284). Underweight was associated with occupation and household type, with higher risks in business (AOR = 9.408) and single-parent households (AOR = 20.929) but protection in smaller households (AOR = 0.596). Stunting was related to unemployment (AOR = 2.339) and full vaccination (AOR = 1.472). Education and income showed no significant association with stunting. CONCLUSION: Socio-demographic factors significantly influenced wasting, underweight, and stunting in children, highlighting the need for targeted interventions on livelihoods, vaccination, and household conditions to reduce undernutrition and inform policy and program development.