Peer-reviewed article
Concurrent wasting and stunting among under‐five children in the context of Ethiopia: A generalised mixed‐effects modelling
Biniyam Sahiledengle, Kingsley E. Agho, Pammla Petrucka, Abera Kumie, Girma Beressa et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study looked at concurrent wasting and stunting, where a child is both too thin for their height and too short for their age. It used data on 33,650 children under five from four waves of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. About 4.7% of children had both conditions, roughly 1 in 20. Older age, being perceived as smaller than normal at birth, and recent diarrhoea or fever were linked to higher odds. Being female, measles vaccination, a mother with normal body mass index and a wealthier household were linked to lower odds.
Key points
- Prevalence of concurrent wasting and stunting was 4.7% (95% CI 4.5–4.9) among children under five.
- Prevalence was 2.5% in urban and 4.9% in rural settings.
- Odds were higher in children aged 12–23 months (AOR 4.16) and 24–59 months (AOR 3.08), in children perceived as smaller than normal at birth (AOR 1.98), and in children with diarrhoea (AOR 1.38) or fever (AOR 1.38) in the past 2 weeks.
- Odds were lower for female children (AOR 0.57), children vaccinated against measles (AOR 0.71), children of mothers with normal BMI (AOR 0.57), and children in wealthier households (AOR 0.67).
- Rural residence was associated with lower odds of the condition (AOR 0.49) after adjustment.
Limitations
The survey data are cross-sectional and the models show associations, not causes. The abstract does not describe how well measured factors such as the mother's perception of birth size were recorded.
Abstract
AbstractConcurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt) is a condition where both wasting and stunting exist in a child at the same time. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of WaSt and to identify potential associated factors in Ethiopia. A total of 33,650 children aged between 0 and 59 months were included in the analysis from the four waves of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. A mixed‐effects logistic regression model was used to identify the determinants of WaSt. The prevalence of WaSt was found to be 4.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: (4.5–4.9)), with respectively 2.5% (95% CI: 2.1–3.1) and 4.9% (95% CI: 4.7–5.2) among children in urban and rural settings. Children: (i) in the age group 12–23 months (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 4.16, 95% CI: (3.20–5.42)) and 24–59 months (AOR: 3.08, 95% CI: (2.28–4.17)); (ii) who were perceived by their mothers to be smaller than normal at birth (AOR: 1.98, 95% CI: (1.57–2.50)); (iii) had diarrhoea (AOR: 1.38, 95% CI: (1.11–1.71)); and (iv) fever in the past 2 weeks (AOR: 1.38, 95% CI: (1.10–1.71)) reported higher odds of WaSt. Being a female child (AOR: 0.57, 95% CI: (0.48–0.69)), having received measles vaccination (AOR: 0.71, 95% CI: (0.55–0.89)), having a mother with a normal body mass index (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) (AOR: 0.57, 95% CI: (0.48–0.68)), having a wealthier household (AOR: 0.67, 95% CI: (0.50–0.90)), and living in rural setting (AOR: 0.49, 95% CI: (0.32–0.74)) were associated with reduced odds of WaSt. The prevalence of WaSt was high, with approximately 1 in 20 Ethiopian children suffering from the condition and needing a prompt response to minimize the poor health and developmental outcomes. Children perceived by their mother to be smaller than normal at birth, older children, and babies with diarrhoea and fever had higher odds of WaSt.