Exploring the risk factors of child malnutrition in Sub-Sahara Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition prevents children from reaching their full physical and mental potential. Health and physical consequences of prolonged states of malnourishment among children are: delay in their physical growth and motor development; lower intellectual quotient (IQ), greater behavioural problems and deficient social skills; susceptibility to contracting diseases. According to the 2015 Millennium development goal (MDG) report, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for one third of all undernourished children globally, highlighting that malnutrition still remains a major health concern for children under 5 years in the sub-region, thus buttressing the need for urgent intervention. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the risk factors of child malnutrition in sub–Saharan Africa through a scoping review. Methods: The scoping review was conducted using the following specific subject databases: EBSCOhost, google scholar, Pub med, demographic research and research gate. Attention was paid to keywords during navigation to ensure consistency of searches in each database. Two limiters were applied in all five databases. These included the use of the English language and articles published on child malnutrition in sub Saharan Africa. Results: The researchers identified eight themes for inclusion in the findings. The themes fell into four major categories being maternal related, family related, child related as well as context related factors. These themes reflect factors associated with child malnutrition. Conclusion: This scoping review revealed that there are quite a number of risk factors that lead to child malnutrition. Therefore, there is an urgency for strategic interventions aimed at improving child nutrition through female education if the 2030 end malnutrition SDG 2.2 are to be achieved.

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