[Chronic Malnutrition among Children under Five in Peru: A Spatial Analysis of Nutritional Data, 2010-2016]
Akram Hernández-Vásquez1, Elena Tapia-López2
1Universidad Privada del Norte. Lima. Perú.
Insights
Peru reduced chronic childhood malnutrition (CCM) by 5.9% between 2010 and 2016. However, high-prevalence districts persist, particularly in sierra and jungle regions, indicating ongoing challenges in child nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Spatial Analysis
Background:
- Peru has implemented strategies to improve child nutrition, yet malnutrition persists in certain regions.
- Chronic childhood malnutrition (CCM) remains a significant public health concern in Peru.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess changes in regional prevalence of CCM in children under five in Peru between 2010 and 2016.
- To identify district-level clusters with high CCM prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Comparative descriptive analysis of regional nutritional indicators.
- District-level spatial analysis using data from the Nutritional Status Information System.
Main Results:
- CCM prevalence decreased from 23.9% in 2010 to 18.0% in 2016 (a 5.9 percentage point reduction).
- Rural areas saw a 7.6 percentage point decline in CCM.
- High-prevalence CCM clusters were identified in 20% of districts in 2010 and 17.2% in 2016, concentrated in sierra and jungle regions.
Conclusions:
- Peru has achieved progress in reducing CCM, but it remains a public health issue.
- High CCM prevalence persists in the sierra region and has expanded to jungle districts.
Objective:
Peru has implemented various strategies seeking to improve nutritional indicators in children under five years old. However, high prevalence of malnutrition in some regions still remains. The aim of this study was to assess changes in regional prevalence and to determine the presence of district conglomerates with a high prevalence of chronic childhood malnutrition (CCM) in 2010 and 2016.
Methods:
A comparative descriptive analysis by regions and a district-level spatial analysis were conducted employing indicators reported by the Nutritional Status Information System.
Results:
23.9% (561.090/2.343.806) children under five years evaluated in Peru during 2010 and 18.0% (394.049/2.193.268) evaluated during 2016 were chronic malnutrition (reduction of 5.9 percentage points). We identified a decline of 7.6 percent points in rural areas and the persistence of prevalence above 30% in only one region (Huancavelica). The spatial analysis identified clusters of districts with high prevalence in 20% (379/1834) of Peruvian districts in 2010, and 17.2% (316/1834) of those in 2016, which are mainly spread across the sierra and jungle regions. .
Conclusions:
Peru has made significant progress in reducing stunting in children. Nevertheless, it still represents a health problem due to high prevalence in the sierra region, as well as expansion to jungle districts in 2016.
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