Peer-reviewed article
How Can Nutrition Research Better Reflect the Relationship Between Wasting and Stunting in Children? Learnings from the Wasting and Stunting Project
Kate Sadler, Philip James, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, André Briend, Sheila Isanaka et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This article examines how childhood wasting and stunting, two forms of undernutrition that affect many children globally, are often studied and addressed separately despite sharing common risk factors and frequently occurring in the same child. The Wasting and Stunting project, launched in 2014, investigated the relationship between these conditions to determine whether current policy and program separations are justified. The authors argue that research design and financing need to better reflect how wasting and stunting are interconnected to improve prevention and treatment of child undernutrition.
Key points
- Wasting and stunting are commonly portrayed as distinct manifestations of undernutrition despite often co-occurring in the same child and sharing common risk factors
- Current approaches to policy, financing, and programs often separate wasting and stunting interventions
- Research needs to examine synergy and temporal relationships between weight loss and linear growth faltering
- Understanding proximal and distal factors driving diverse forms of undernutrition requires integrated research approaches
- Research collaborations across interest groups are needed to move beyond single-form undernutrition focus and ensure equal attention to wasting
Limitations
This article is a conceptual and methodological discussion rather than a report of empirical findings, so it cannot provide evidence of what interventions work or how outcomes were measured. It does not present quantitative data on the prevalence, causes, or outcomes of wasting and stunting.
Abstract
Childhood wasting and stunting affect large numbers of children globally. Both are important risk factors for illness and death yet, despite the fact that these conditions can share common risk factors and are often seen in the same child, they are commonly portrayed as relatively distinct manifestations of undernutrition. In 2014, the Wasting and Stunting project was launched by the Emergency Nutrition Network. Its aim was to better understand the complex relationship and associations between wasting and stunting and examine whether current separations that were apparent in approaches to policy, financing, and programs were justified or useful. Based on the project's work, this article aims to bring a wasting and stunting lens to how research is designed and financed in order for the nutrition community to better understand, prevent, and treat child undernutrition. Discussion of lessons learnt focuses on the synergy and temporal relationships between children's weight loss and linear growth faltering, the proximal and distal factors that drive diverse forms of undernutrition, and identifying and targeting people most at risk. Supporting progress in all these areas requires research collaborations across interest groups that highlight the value of research that moves beyond a focus on single forms of undernutrition, and ensures that there is equal attention given to wasting as to other forms of malnutrition, wherever it is present.