Riwa Francis P, Odgers-Jewell Kate, Jones Mark A, Mushi Andrew A
Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4229, Australia.
Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4229, Australia.
Nutr Rev. 2025 Jul 1;83(7):e1896-e1916. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuae189.
To explore the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among infants and children aged 6 months to 5 years in sub-Saharan African countries.
Despite substantial progress over the past 20 years, undernutrition has remained an alarming global challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the prevalence of stunting in children younger than 5 years has significantly increased. This study seeks to update the evidence on the prevalence and determinants of childhood undernutrition in this vulnerable region.
This systematic scoping review was conducted following the 2018 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. Five electronic databases were searched on December 14, 2022, with no date or language restrictions. Primary studies presenting evidence on the prevalence and determinants of childhood undernutrition among infants and children aged 6 months to 5 years were included. Data on the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight, and on determinants of undernutrition were extracted, described, and compared with national survey data.
A total of 59 publications from 11 countries were included, with most studies conducted in Ethiopia (n = 38) and Tanzania (n = 7). Stunting prevalence ranged from 8% to 64%, wasting prevalence ranged from 1% to 58%, and the prevalence of underweight ranged from 2% to 63%. The most frequently reported determinants of undernutrition were the child's age (>24 months), male sex, maternal illiteracy, diarrhea or illness in the past 2 weeks, low household socioeconomic status, or living in a larger household (n > 4 members). Overall, 56% of the included studies reported higher stunting prevalence, 60% reported higher wasting prevalence, and 57% reported a higher prevalence of underweight than reported by relevant national surveys.
The prevalence of childhood undernutrition reported by primary studies is often higher than that reported by national surveys. Several immediate and underlying determinants influence childhood undernutrition. Future research should incorporate the findings from primary research to develop holistic, multistrategy approaches to address childhood undernutrition in sub-Saharan African countries.
探讨撒哈拉以南非洲国家6个月至5岁婴幼儿营养不良的患病率及其决定因素。
尽管在过去20年中取得了重大进展，但营养不良仍然是一个令人担忧的全球挑战。撒哈拉以南非洲是唯一一个5岁以下儿童发育迟缓患病率显著上升的地区。本研究旨在更新这一脆弱地区儿童营养不良患病率及其决定因素的相关证据。
本系统综述遵循2018年系统评价和Meta分析优先报告项目（PRISMA）扩展版进行范围界定。2022年12月14日检索了五个电子数据库，无日期或语言限制。纳入了提供6个月至5岁婴幼儿儿童营养不良患病率及其决定因素证据的原始研究。提取、描述了发育迟缓、消瘦和体重不足的患病率数据以及营养不良的决定因素，并与国家调查数据进行了比较。
共纳入了来自11个国家的59篇出版物，大多数研究在埃塞俄比亚（n = 38）和坦桑尼亚（n = 7）进行。发育迟缓患病率从8%到64%不等，消瘦患病率从1%到58%不等，体重不足患病率从2%到63%不等。最常报告的营养不良决定因素是儿童年龄（>24个月）、男性、母亲文盲、过去2周内腹泻或患病、家庭社会经济地位低或生活在大家庭（n > 4人）。总体而言，56%的纳入研究报告的发育迟缓患病率高于相关国家调查，60%报告的消瘦患病率更高，57%报告的体重不足患病率更高。
原始研究报告的儿童营养不良患病率通常高于国家调查。若干直接和潜在的决定因素影响儿童营养不良。未来的研究应纳入原始研究的结果，以制定全面的多策略方法来解决撒哈拉以南非洲国家的儿童营养不良问题。
