Birth weight mediates the association of maternal undernutrition with child undernutrition prevalence in West Africa.

Autor: Kofi Amegah A; Public Health Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. aamegah@ucc.edu.gh., Ayinemi R; Public Health Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana., Sewor C; Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA., Fenta HM; Department of Statistics, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia., Yeboah K; Public Health Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana., Mohammed SA; Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana., Dwomoh D; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana., Annim SK; Department of Applied Economics, School of Economics, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Ghana Statistical Service, Head Office Building, P.O. Box GP1098, Finance Close, Accra, Ghana., Stranges S; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada., Kandala NB; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada.; University of the Witwatersrand, Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: European journal of clinical nutrition [Eur J Clin Nutr] 2024 Sep; Vol. 78 (9), pp. 772-781. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 28.
DOI: 10.1038/s41430-024-01453-5
Abstrakt: Background: Maternal nutritional status before and during pregnancy is an important determinant of foetal health. In West Africa, maternal and child undernutrition remains a major public health problem and it is important to establish the mechanistic pathway linking the two disorders to help address the problem. We therefore assessed the mediating role of low birth weight (LBW) in the relationship of maternal undernutrition with child undernutrition in West Africa.
Methods: We included recent (2010-2019) DHS data from thirteen West African countries. Poisson regression model with robust standard errors was used to assess the relationship between maternal undernutrition (body mass index and anaemia) and child undernutrition (stunting, wasting, underweight, and anaemia). Structural equation modelling was used to conduct the mediation analysis.
Results: Prevalence of stunting, wasting, underweight, and anaemia among under-five children in West Africa was found to be 32.4%, 8.1%, 20.1%, and 71.5%, respectively. We found children of underweight mothers to be more likely to be undernourished (stunted, wasted, and underweight) and anaemic compared to children of normal-weight mothers. Also, children of anaemic mothers were more likely to be stunted and anaemic but not wasted compared with children of non-anaemic mothers. LBW mediated the observed relationships between maternal BMI and childhood stunting (22.6%), and maternal anaemia and childhood stunting (24.9%), wasting (11.7), and anaemia (6.6%).
Conclusion: We found maternal undernutrition to be associated with child undernutrition in West Africa with LBW noted to be a mediator of the observed relationship. We recommend that, to address the child undernutrition problem in West Africa, governments and policymakers must integrate measures to address the burden of LBW.
(© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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