The impact of malnutrition and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Nutrition and Health,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: April 30, 2025
Background:
Malnutrition
remains
a
significant
public
health
challenge
impacting
populations
globally,
especially
in
low-and
middle-income
countries,
comprising
Latin
America
and
the
Caribbean
(LAC).
Aim:
This
systematic
review
meta-analysis
studied
impact
of
vulnerable
LAC.
Method:
Electronic
databases
such
as
Google
Scholar,
EBSCOhost,
HINARI,
Scielo,
PubMed,
Scopus
were
searched
on
LAC
using
appropriate
search
terms
combined
keywords.
The
retrieved
studies
uploaded
organized
Rayyan@
software.
Result:
Six
hundred
twenty
identified
screened,
29
included
final
meeting
inclusion
criteria.
Results
indicated
that
Brazil,
males
exhibited
consistently
higher
stunting
odds
(odds
ratio
=
1.19),
while
wasting
risk
was
marginally
lower
females
(risk
0.79),
though
skewed
by
2017
data
anomaly.
Regional
analysis
revealed
divergent
trends:
Guatemala
Bolivia
showed
elevated
child
malnutrition,
whereas
Brazil
Ecuador
reported
rates
among
adolescent
females.
Extreme
heterogeneity
underscored
contextual
variability,
emphasizing
need
for
localized
interventions
quality
improvements
to
address
these
challenges.
Conclusion:
prevalence
wasting,
with
disparities
observed
between
genders
age
groups.
Also,
socioeconomic
factors
emerged
critical
determinants
malnutrition
outcomes,
wealth
education
levels
correlating
undernutrition.
Maternal
autonomy
key
influencers
nutritional
status,
importance
empowering
women
healthcare
decision-making.
Effective
demand
multifaceted
approach,
encompassing
tailored
strategies
groups,
strengthened
systems,
evidence-based
practices.
Language: Английский
Factors associated with childhood undernutrition in poor Ethiopian households: Implications for public health interventions
PLoS ONE,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
20(5), P. e0323332 - e0323332
Published: May 9, 2025
Background
Childhood
undernutrition
is
a
significant
public
health
concern
linked
to
poverty.
Despite
the
persistent
high
burden
of
childhood
in
Ethiopia,
there
lack
robust
evidence
identifying
factors
associated
with
under-five
children
from
poor
households
nation.
This
study
aimed
identify
determinants
among
living
Ethiopia.
Methods
The
2005,
2011
and
2016
Ethiopian
Demographic
Health
Surveys
were
combined,
analysis
was
restricted
aged
0–59
months
poorer
poorest
households,
yielding
weighted
sample
12,466
analysed.
adverse
nutritional
status
indicators
child
status:
height-for-age
z-scores
(HAZ),
weight-for-age
(WAZ),
weight-for-height
(WHZ)
outcomes
interest.
child’s
HAZ,
WHZ,
WAZ
below
-2
standard
deviations
(SD)
categorized
as
binary
into
stunted,
wasted,
underweight,
respectively.
Multilevel
mixed-effect
logistic
regression
analyses
conducted
examine
households.
Results
prevalence
stunting,
wasting
underweight
47.5%
(95%
CI:
46.5–48.4),
12.7%
12.1–13.3),
32.8%
31.9–33.7),
most
positively
wasting,
being
comprised
male
gender,
younger
age,
having
diarrhea
two
week
before
each
survey,
perceived
smaller
by
their
mothers
(stunted
wasted
only),
uneducated
(stunting
maternal
short
stature
unimproved
sanitation
facility
only).
odds
significantly
higher
who
lived
urban
areas,
female-headed
those
had
fever
weeks
survey.
Conclusion
Child
than
national
average,
highlighting
critical
issue.
Urgent
intervention
focusing
on
identified
risk
factors,
such
sanitation,
education,
needed,
improve
nutrition
well-being
disadvantaged
Language: Английский
Trends in social determinants of inequality in child undernutrition from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys, 2005–2016
PLoS ONE,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
19(1), P. e0295810 - e0295810
Published: Jan. 12, 2024
Background
While
child
undernutrition
has
been
eliminated
in
some
middle-income
countries,
it
remains
highly
prevalent
sub-Sahara
African
(SSA)
and
South
Asian
regions,
is
disproportionately
concentrated
among
the
poor.
In
this
study,
we
estimated
trends
by
social
determinants
related
risks
from
wealth
inequality
Ethiopia,
2005
to
2016.
Method
We
analyzed
data
three
consecutive
surveys
(2005,
2011,
2016)
Ethiopian
Demographic
Health
Survey.
First,
prevalence
of
childhood
variables
(stunting,
underweight,
wasting)
(household
status,
education
level,
place
residence,
administrative
regions).
Then
assessed
evidence
wealth-related
with
concentration
curves
(visual)
indeces
(quantitative).
A
multilevel
mixed-effect
Poisson
regression
model
was
used
identify
predictors
expressed
as
covariate-adjusted
rate
ratios,
95%
confidence
intervals
(RRs,
95%CI).
Result
total
23,934
mother-child
pairs
were
obtained
surveys.
The
average
decreased
12.4
percentage
points
for
stunting
(from
50.8
38.4%,
P<0.01),
9.5
underweight
(33.2%
to23.7%,
2.1
wasting
(12.2%
to10.1%,
P<0.01).
There
persistent
statistically
stunting,
(concentration
-0.2
-0.04,
all
P
values
<0.05).
Stunting,
associated
male
sex
(RR
0.94,
0.95,
0.85,
P-values
<0.01)
recent
diarrhea
1.18,
1.27,
1.37,
<0.01),
secondary
status
mother
0.66,
0.57,
0.61,
<
0.057),
increasing
index
(richest)
0.73,
0.70,
0.50,
0.05),
having
no
toilet
facility
1.16,
1.22,
0.05).
Conclusion
Despite
burden
remained
relatively
unchanged
Ethiopia
Moreover,
increased
most
indicators
during
period.
Social
warrant
urgent
implementation
strategies
reduce
their
health
impacts
SSA.
Language: Английский
Underweight and associated factors among children under age of five in low and lower-middle income African countries: hierarchical analysis of demographic and health survey data
Frontiers in Public Health,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
12
Published: Sept. 9, 2024
Globally,
nearly
half
of
all
deaths
among
children
under
the
age
five
are
linked
to
undernutrition.
These
tragic
outcomes
most
prevalent
in
low-
and
middle-income
countries.
The
far-reaching
impact
malnutrition
affects
not
only
individuals
but
also
their
families,
communities,
entire
nations.
By
examining
underweight,
we
gain
valuable
insights
into
intricate
network
factors
influencing
child
health.
Therefore,
this
study
aims
assess
underweight
prevalence
its
associated
under-five
low
lower-middle-income
African
Language: Английский