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Keats EC, Kajjura RB, Ataullahjan A, Islam M, Cheng B, Somaskandan A, Charbonneau KD, Confreda E, Jardine R, Oh C, Waiswa P, Bhutta ZA. Malaria reduction drives childhood stunting decline in Uganda: a mixed-methods country case study. Am J Clin Nutr 2022; 115:1559-1568. [PMID: 35157012 PMCID: PMC9170463 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Uganda has achieved a considerable reduction in childhood stunting over the past 2 decades, although accelerated action will be needed to achieve 2030 targets. OBJECTIVES This study assessed the national, community, household, and individual-level drivers of stunting decline since 2000, along with direct and indirect nutrition policies and programs that have contributed to nutrition change in Uganda. METHODS This mixed-methods study used 4 different approaches to determine the drivers of stunting change over time: 1) a scoping literature review; 2) quantitative data analyses, including Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition and difference-in-difference multivariable hierarchical modeling; 3) national- and community-level qualitative data collection and analysis; and 4) analysis of key direct and indirect nutrition policies, programs, and initiatives. RESULTS Stunting prevalence declined by 14% points from 2000 to 2016, although geographical, wealth, urban/rural, and education-based inequalities persist. Child growth curves demonstrated substantial improvements in child height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) at birth, reflecting improved maternal nutrition and intrauterine growth. The decomposition analysis explained 82% of HAZ change, with increased coverage of insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs; 35%), better maternal nutrition (19%), improved maternal education (14%), and improved maternal and newborn healthcare (11%) being the most critical factors. The qualitative analysis supported these findings, and also pointed to wealth, women's empowerment, cultural norms, water and sanitation, dietary intake/diversity, and reduced childhood illness as important. The 2011 Uganda Nutrition Action Plan was an essential multisectoral strategy that shifted nutrition out of health and mainstreamed it across related sectors. CONCLUSIONS Uganda's success in stunting reduction was multifactorial, but driven largely through indirect nutrition strategies delivered outside of health. To further improve stunting, it will be critical to prioritize malaria-control strategies, including ITN distribution campaigns and prevention/treatment approaches for mothers and children, and deliberately target the poor, least educated, and rural populations along with high-burden districts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Keats
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Anushka Ataullahjan
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Muhammad Islam
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Breagh Cheng
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ahalya Somaskandan
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Erica Confreda
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rachel Jardine
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christina Oh
- Centre for Global Child Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peter Waiswa
- Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda
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Ssentongo P, Ssentongo AE, Ba DM, Ericson JE, Na M, Gao X, Fronterre C, Chinchilli VM, Schiff SJ. Global, regional and national epidemiology and prevalence of child stunting, wasting and underweight in low- and middle-income countries, 2006-2018. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5204. [PMID: 33664313 PMCID: PMC7933191 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84302-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2016, undernutrition, as manifested in childhood stunting, wasting, and underweight were estimated to cause over 1.0 million deaths, 3.9% of years of life lost, and 3.8% of disability-adjusted life years globally. The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) using the 2006-2018 cross-sectional nationally representative demographic and health surveys (DHS) data and to explore the sources of regional variations. Anthropometric measurements of children 0-59 months of age from DHS in 62 LMICs worldwide were used. Complete information was available for height-for-age (n = 624,734), weight-for-height (n = 625,230) and weight-for-age (n = 626,130). Random-effects models were fit to estimate the pooled prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight. Sources of heterogeneity in the prevalence estimates were explored through subgroup meta-analyses and meta-regression using generalized linear mixed-effects models. Human development index (a country-specific composite index based on life expectancy, literacy, access to education and per capita gross domestic product) and the United Nations region were explored as potential sources of variation in undernutrition. The overall prevalence was 29.1% (95% CI 26.7%, 31.6%) for stunting, 6.3% (95% CI 4.6%, 8.2%) for wasting, and 13.7% (95% CI 10.9%, 16.9%) for underweight. Subgroup analyses suggested that Western Africa, Southern Asia, and Southeastern Asia had a substantially higher estimated prevalence of undernutrition than global average estimates. In multivariable meta-regression, a combination of human development index and United Nations region (a proxy for geographical variation) explained 54%, 56%, and 66% of the variation in stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that regional, subregional, and country disparities in undernutrition remain, and the residual gaps to close towards achieving the second sustainable development goal-ending undernutrition by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paddy Ssentongo
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
- Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
| | - Anna E Ssentongo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
- Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Djibril M Ba
- Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
- Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Jessica E Ericson
- Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Muzi Na
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Claudio Fronterre
- Centre for Health Informatics, Computing, and Statistics, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Vernon M Chinchilli
- Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Steven J Schiff
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- The Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
- Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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