Concurrent wasting and stunting among under-five children in Niakhar, Senegal

Michel Garenne*, Mark Myatt, Tanya Khara, Carmel Dolan, André Briend

*Corresponding author for this work
20 Citations (Scopus)
46 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The study describes the patterns of concurrent wasting and stunting (WaSt) among children age 6–59 months living in the 1980s in Niakhar, a rural area of Senegal under demographic surveillance. Wasting and stunting were defined by z scores lower than −2 in weight for height and height for age. Both conditions were found to be highly prevalent, wasting more so before age 30 months, stunting more so after age 30 months. As a result, concurrent WaSt peaked around age 18 months and its prevalence (6.2%) was primarily the product of the two conditions, with an interaction term of 1.57 (p < 10−6). The interaction was due to the correlation between both conditions (more stunting if wasted, more wasting if stunted). Before age 30 months, boys were more likely to be concurrently wasted and stunted than girls (RR = 1.61), but the sex difference disappeared after 30 months of age. The excess susceptibility of younger boys could not be explained by muscle mass or fat mass measured by arm or muscle circumference, triceps, or subscapular skinfold. Concurrent WaSt was a strong risk factor for child mortality, and its effect was the product of the independent effect of each component, with no significant interaction.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12736
JournalMaternal and Child Nutrition
Volume15
Issue number2
Number of pages8
ISSN1740-8695
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2019

Keywords

  • Anthropometry
  • Child survival
  • Concurrent wasting & stunting
  • Senegal
  • Stunting
  • Wasting

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