Prevalence and Predictors of Stunting in Children Under Five Years of Age

Stunting in children under five years of age is a significant health problem in many middle and low-income countries worldwide. The study aimed to analyse the prevalence and predictors of stunting in children under five years of age. Preferred reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA Checklist 2020) were used for data reporting and analysis. Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, PakMedinet, and direct websites of local journals were searched for relevant publications from 1996 to March 2022. A random-effect model was employed to generate a pooled prevalence and was presented as a percent and 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of thirty-three studies were selected for systematic review. Out of these, nine studies were selected from the last five years to estimate pooled prevalence in children under five years of age. The overall pooled prevalence was 39.11% (95% CI: 33.017 to 45.394). A significant heterogeneity with I2 = 99.39%, p <0.0001, was found among the studies. The remaining twenty-four studies with the prevalence of stunting under five years of age were also divided into two groups based on the age range, either <2 years or 2-5 years of age. The pooled prevalence was 39.11%. Mother's education was the most frequent predictor (85%), followed by socioeconomic status (64 %), breastfeeding (55%), and the weight of the child at birth (40%).