Peer-reviewed article
Sociodemographic factors associated with concurrent stunting and wasting among children experiencing extreme poverty in the Philippines: A cross-sectional study.
Monica Bustos, Lincoln Lau, Helena Manguerra, Warren Dodd ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined malnutrition among 3,005 children aged 6–144 months living in extreme poverty in the Philippines. Nearly half the children were stunted (short for their age), 9% were wasted (too thin for their height), and 4.6% had both conditions simultaneously. Children with concurrent stunting and wasting came from poorer households, had less-educated parents, and experienced food insecurity. The research highlights the need to address both forms of malnutrition together in prevention and treatment programs.
Key points
- Prevalence of concurrent stunting and wasting was 4.6% among children in extreme poverty
- Overall stunting prevalence was 49.9% and wasting prevalence was 9.3%
- Household head education level, household wealth, and food insecurity were key factors associated with malnutrition
- Food insecurity was particularly correlated with wasting among younger children
- Children with both conditions came from households in lower wealth quintiles
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study, so it cannot establish causality or direction of relationships between sociodemographic factors and malnutrition. The data is from 2018–2019 and specific to extremely poor populations in the Philippines, which may limit generalizability to other settings or time periods.
Abstract
Background: The coexistence of stunting and wasting in a child increases the risk of mortality and requires more intensive treatment and care. However, there is limited research on the burden of concurrent stunting and wasting among children and the socioeconomic factors that are correlated with having both conditions. Aim: To understand the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of stunting, wasting, and concurrent stunting and wasting among a sample of children ages 6-144 months experiencing poverty in the Philippines. Methods: Cross-sectional data were drawn from nutrition screening and sociodemographic surveys conducted by International Care Ministries in 2018-2019. Descriptive statistics were calculated to determine the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and concurrent stunting and wasting. Multilevel logistic regression modelling was conducted to understand the sociodemographic factors that were associated with stunting and wasting. Results: Among the 3005 children in this sample, the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and concurrent stunting and wasting was 49.9%, 9.3%, and 4.6%, respectively. Children experiencing concurrent stunting and wasting lived in households in lower wealth index quintiles, had a household head with fewer years of education, and were more likely to experience food insecurity compared to children who were not stunted or wasted. The education of the household head, the number of household members, and the wealth of the household were correlated with stunting across age groups, while food insecurity was correlated with wasting among younger children. Conclusion: The presence of concurrent stunting and wasting among children provides the impetus to integrate both conditions into nutrition monitoring, prevention, and treatment interventions.