Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Background Undernutrition among children remains a severe burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change is viewed as a major obstacle to enhancing children’s nutrition. Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa, has one of the highest prevalence of child undernutrition in the region. This study aimed to assess the effects of precipitation and temperature on child undernutrition in Mali, with a focus on climatic differences between the southern and northern regions. Methods We pooled the two most recent cross-sectional datasets from the Mali Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) 2012/2013 and 2018, and combined them with climatic variables at the DHS cluster level. The study included 12,537 children aged under 5 years. We conducted multivariate multilevel logistic regression analyses to estimate the effects of precipitation and temperature on the likelihood of child undernutrition. Results The average monthly precipitation during the last year, as well as the in the last two years preceding the survey, was associated with a reduced likelihood of childhood underweight and wasting in the northern part of Mali, predominantly comprising desert areas. Furthermore, we confirmed that an elevated average temperature was correlated with an increased likelihood of childhood stunting and underweight in the northern part. Conclusions Precipitation and temperature exerted a substantial impact on the nutritional status of children, particularly in northern Mali. Considering the growing threat of climatic variations, implementing strategies to address climate change, especially in the northern regions, is crucial for enhancing children’s nutrition.
Tanou et al. (Thu,) studied this question.