Peer-reviewed article
Concurrent wasting and stunting among under‐five children in Niakhar, Senegal
Michel Garenne, Mark Myatt, Tanya Khara, Carmel Dolan, André Briend ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5The study describes how often children aged 6–59 months in rural Niakhar, Senegal, were both wasted and stunted at the same time. The data come from the 1980s, when the area was under demographic surveillance. Wasting was more common before 30 months of age and stunting after 30 months. Having both conditions peaked around 18 months and affected 6.2% of children. Having both conditions was a strong risk factor for child death.
Key points
- Wasting and stunting were both highly prevalent; wasting was more common before age 30 months, stunting after 30 months.
- Concurrent wasting and stunting peaked around 18 months, with a prevalence of 6.2%.
- The two conditions were correlated (more stunting if wasted, more wasting if stunted), giving an interaction term of 1.57 (p < 10^-6).
- Before 30 months boys were more likely than girls to have both conditions (RR = 1.61); the difference disappeared after 30 months.
- Concurrent wasting and stunting was a strong risk factor for child mortality, and its effect was the product of the effects of each component, with no significant interaction.
Limitations
The data are from the 1980s in one rural area, so they may not reflect children in Senegal or elsewhere today. The abstract does not explain why younger boys were more susceptible, as muscle and fat measures did not account for it.
Abstract
Abstract The study describes the patterns of concurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt) among children age 6–59 months living in the 1980s in Niakhar, a rural area of Senegal under demographic surveillance. Wasting and stunting were defined by z scores lower than −2 in weight for height and height for age. Both conditions were found to be highly prevalent, wasting more so before age 30 months, stunting more so after age 30 months. As a result, concurrent WaSt peaked around age 18 months and its prevalence (6.2%) was primarily the product of the two conditions, with an interaction term of 1.57 ( p < 10 −6 ). The interaction was due to the correlation between both conditions (more stunting if wasted, more wasting if stunted). Before age 30 months, boys were more likely to be concurrently wasted and stunted than girls (RR = 1.61), but the sex difference disappeared after 30 months of age. The excess susceptibility of younger boys could not be explained by muscle mass or fat mass measured by arm or muscle circumference, triceps, or subscapular skinfold. Concurrent WaSt was a strong risk factor for child mortality, and its effect was the product of the independent effect of each component, with no significant interaction.