Peer-reviewed article
Livestock ownership, ASF consumption and child nutrition in Rwanda: a multilevel mixed effect approach
Gulchiroy S. Mirzajonova, Chhavi Tiwari, Fevi Rose Paro, Karin Rashid, Daniel Acosta et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how livestock ownership and animal source food (ASF) consumption affect child malnutrition in Rwanda using data from nearly 3,500 children aged 6-59 months. Children in households with livestock were significantly less likely to be stunted and underweight, with the strongest effects in Nyagatare district where stunting was 35% lower in livestock-owning households. ASF consumption alone showed no direct benefit nationally, but when combined with household livestock ownership, children had moderately lower rates of stunting and underweight. The research highlights that livestock ownership and other social factors like maternal education play important roles in child nutrition outcomes.
Key points
- Livestock ownership was significantly associated with reduced stunting and underweight but not wasting in children aged 6-59 months
- In Nyagatare district, children in livestock-owning households were 35% less likely to be stunted
- ASF consumption combined with household livestock ownership reduced stunting by 6% and underweight by 3.6%
- No direct relationship between ASF consumption alone and child undernutrition was identified nationally
- Maternal education and economic status were identified as important associated social determinants of health
Limitations
This is an observational study using cross-sectional DHS data, so causality cannot be established and unmeasured confounders may explain the associations. The study cannot determine whether livestock ownership improves nutrition through increased ASF consumption or through other pathways such as improved household economic status.
Abstract
Livestock-derived animal source foods (ASF) provide macro and micronutrients required for child growth and development, yet are under-consumed in many parts of the world where undernutrition persists. Using a modified conceptual framework of the social determinants of health, this study investigates the interrelationship between livestock ownership, ASF consumption, and child undernutrition (wasting, stunting, and underweight) in Rwanda. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 3438 children aged 6–59 months and employing a multilevel mixed effects model, we investigate these interrelationships nationally, then focus on the Eastern Province and Nyagatare district, an area of high livestock production. Findings reveal that livestock ownership is significantly negatively associated with stunting ( $$-0.056, p=0.048$$ ) and underweight $$(-0.047, p=0.003$$ ); no significant association was found with wasting. No direct relationship between ASF consumption and child undernutrition was identified at the national level, though children who consumed ASF and lived in households with livestock were 6% ( $$-0.063, p=0.048$$ ) less likely to be stunted and 3.6% ( $$-0.036, p=0.047)$$ less likely to be underweight. The effect of livestock ownership was particularly pronounced in Nyagatare district, where children in households with livestock were 35% ( $$-0.355, p=0.032$$ ) less likely to be stunted than children in households without livestock. The study also found important associations with other social determinants of health, including maternal education and economic status, among others. Findings underscore the important role of livestock ownership in Rwanda and the need for a multi-disciplinary approach in leveraging increased ASF consumption to improve child nutrition outcomes.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Livestock ownership in households with children aged 6-59 months
- Population
- 3,438 children aged 6-59 months in Rwanda, with sub-analysis of Eastern Province and Nyagatare district
Key finding
Livestock ownership was significantly negatively associated with stunting (coefficient -0.056, p=0.048)