Objectives: Child malnutrition is a leading cause of preventable mortality worldwide, with Nigeria ranking among the top ten affected nations. The study objective is to investigate the trends, determinants, and regional variations in child malnutrition levels among children under five in Northern Nigeria. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using secondary data from the 2013 and 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys, comprising 39,720 mother-child pairs from North-Central, NorthEast, and North-West regions. Sociodemographic, maternal, household, and dietary intake variables were examined using logistic regression to assess associations with stunting, wasting, and underweight among children under five. Results: Stunting increased from 39.4% in 2013 to 44.7% in 2018, while wasting declined from 17.0% to 8.1%, and underweight decreased modestly from 30.0% to 27.5%. Importantly, adequate dietary intake diversity was strongly protective, significantly reducing the odds of stunting (adjusted odds ratio AOR = 0.894), wasting (AOR = 0.075), and underweight (AOR = 0.919). Maternal undernutrition, low education, and household poverty were also significant predictors, and children from the North-East and North-West exhibited up to twofold higher odds of stunting compared to those in North-Central Nigeria. Conclusion: Urgent, multifaceted action to improve maternal nutrition, education, and food security is essential to break the intergenerational cycle and enhance child health. Policy reforms and targeted programs should address regional disparities and promote sustainable, locally appropriate diets.
Sanni et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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