Prevalence of child stunting in Sub-Saharan Africa and its risk factors

Background & AimsChild stunting (impaired height-for-age) is a marker of chronic undernutrition and results from insufficient energy and nutrient uptakes. Stunting has severe consequences for future physical and mental development. A WHO target is to reduce the prevalence of stunting by 40% within 2025. In contrast to other parts of the world, stunting has been a major public health problem in many African countries for a long time. Here we present a narrative review on stunting during the last 20 years among children ≤ 5 years in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where stunting is rampant.MethodsWe identified 13 articles from 2000-2020 based on pre-defined criteria.ResultsChildren in SSA are highly affected by stunting, with an average prevalence of 41%. Stunting is significantly higher in children >1 year, in boys, in low birth weight, in shorter interpregnancy interval, in mothers with lower education, and in poor and food insecure households. Maternal education, feeding practices and environmental factors (e.g. climate change) are important risk factors.ConclusionsAlthough the prevalence of stunting has been reduced over the last two decades, great effort remains to reach the global target. Policies and interventions should target education for women, child feeding practices and environmental factors including climate change.