Mapping Local Variations and the Determinants of Childhood Stunting in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the specific geospatial variations in childhood stunting is essential for aligning appropriate health services to where new and/or additional nutritional interventions are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national targets. Objectives: We described local variations in the prevalence of childhood stunting at the second administrative level and its determinants in Nigeria after accounting for the influence of geospatial dependencies. Methods: This study used the 2018 national Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey datasets (NDHS; N = 12,627). We used a Bayesian geostatistical modelling approach to investigate the prevalence of stunting at the second administrative level and its proximal and contextual determinants among children under five years of age in Nigeria. Results: In 2018, the overall prevalence of childhood stunting in Nigeria was 41.5% (95% credible interval (CrI) from 26.4% to 55.7%). There were striking variations in the prevalence of stunting that ranged from 2.0% in Shomolu in Lagos State, Southern Nigeria to 66.4% in Biriniwa in Jigawa State, Northern Nigeria. Factors positively associated with stunting included being perceived as small at the time of birth and experience of three or more episodes of diarrhoea in the two weeks before the survey. Children whose mothers received a formal education and/or were overweight or obese were less likely to be stunted compared to their counterparts. Children who were from rich households, resided in households with improved cooking fuel, resided in urban centres, and lived in medium-rainfall geographic locations were also less likely to be stunted. Conclusion: The study findings showed wide variations in childhood stunting in Nigeria, suggesting the need for a realignment of health services to the poorest regions of Northern Nigeria.

Geospatial Overlap of Undernutrition and Tuberculosis in Ethiopia

“…The finding of our study regarding the geographical distribution of stunting is consistent with previous studies in Ethiopia, which consistently report a higher prevalence of stunting among children in the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions [50,51]. Studies conducted in Rwanda and Nigeria also showed a wide geographical variation of childhood stunting [52,53]. The highest stunting prevalence of the northern part of Ethiopia can possibly be attributed to political instability and environmental emergencies [54,55].…”

Micronutrient and Nutritional Status of HIV-Exposed and HIV-Unexposed Malawian Infants in the First Year of Life: Assessment of Ferritin, Vitamin A, and D Status and Its Association with Growth

“…We were also unable to identify associations between stunting, being underweight, and wasting and micronutrient deficiency (ferritin, RBP) or insufficiency (vitamin D). The data do not confirm other findings of higher prevalence of stunting in HEU than HUU infants [ 58 ], but they indicate that stunting, although decreasing, still affected a significant proportion of pre-school infants in Africa, irrespective of maternal HIV status, possibly due to socioeconomic and demographic factors [ 57 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. Overall, the findings suggest that the current population of HIV-exposed infants does not need specific interventions regarding the nutritional aspects evaluated, because the deficiencies observed involved similarly HIV-exposed and HIV-unexposed infants.…”

Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis to Identify Hotspots of Stunting Cases in Kerinci Regency

“…Spatial analysis of stunting cases in Kerinci Regency, Indonesia, is crucial for understanding the distribution patterns and identifying hotspots of stunting prevalence. Previous studies have highlighted the significance of geographic distribution in health issues like stunting, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions based on spatial data (Ahmed et al, 2023;Kuse & Debeko, 2023;Sipahutar et al, 2021).…”