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Background: The objective of this study was to systematically assess global, regional, and national trends in the prevalence and burden of nutritional deficiencies among children aged 0-14 years from 1990 to 2021. Specifically, four major subtypes of malnutrition: protein-energy malnutrition, Vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency, and dietary iron deficiency. Methods: This study utilized data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database to analyze incidence and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated, with the data stratified based on age, gender, region, socio-demographic index (SDI), and country. Results: Between 1990 and 2021, the global burden of nutritional deficiencies (all ages 0-14 combined) in children declined. The age-standardized DALY rate of dietary iron deficiency had the lowest EAPC (- 0.53; 95% CI: - 0.62, - 0.45). The highest burden of nutritional deficiencies and its subtypes was in Sub-Saharan Africa, but the age-standardized DALY rate of dietary iron deficiency and the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of protein-energy malnutrition were highest in South Asia (1103.19 and 3185.45 respectively). Age-standardized DALYs of protein-energy malnutrition increased substantially in high-income North America (EAPC: 3.30) and Western Europe (EAPC: 2.29). The age group with the greatest burden of nutritional deficiencies and of its subtypes was 0-4 years age group. Conclusion: From 1990 to 2021, Sub-Saharan Africa has consistently faced the most severe nutritional deficiencies. Meanwhile, South Asia continues to struggle with significant protein-energy and dietary iron nutritional shortfalls. Conversely, high-income North America and Western Europe have experienced a notable rise in protein-energy deficiency.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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