Pregnancy planning and child malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multi-country DHS analysis

Introduction: Few studies have assessed the impact of pregnancy planning on malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, and those carried out in other contexts come up with rather divergent results. This study therefore analysed the relationship between pregnancy planning and child malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa while highlighting the disparities that may exist between countries and sub-regions. Methods: The latest data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 34 countries in sub-Saharan Africa were mobilised, and bivariate and multivariate descriptive methods through binomial logistic regressions were used for the analysis. Results: The results indicate that pregnancy planning is a key factor in stunting and underweight in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared to children whose birth was planned, those whose birth was mistimed or unwanted have, respectively, 13.4% (aOR=1.134, 95%CI: 1.086 – 1.184) and 15.5% (aOR=1.155, 95%CI: 1.070 – 1.246) more at risk of stunting. They are also 12.2% (aOR=1.122, 95%CI: 1.069 – 1.177) and 23.3% (aOR=1.233, 95%CI: 1.133 – 1.342) more likely to be affected by underweight, respectively, compared to children whose birth was planned. On the other hand, wasting, which is a sign of an unsuitable diet in the very recent period, is not influenced by pregnancy planning. Conclusion: These results indicate that the influence of pregnancy planning on malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa is confined to its chronic forms (stunting and underweight) and underscores the need to integrate family planning into nutritional policies to reduce long-term child malnutrition.