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Spatial distribution of stunting among breast feeding children in Sub-Sahara Africa

Bekahegn Girma1, Lealem Dibku Sasahu2, Azizur Rahman3

  • 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Asrat Woldeyes Health Science Campus, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.

Plos One
|June 13, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Child stunting remains a critical public health issue in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study reveals significant spatial variations in stunting, with hotspots in Central and Eastern Africa, necessitating targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Spatial Epidemiology
  • Child Nutrition

Background:

  • Malnutrition, particularly stunting, is a major public health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), affecting millions of children.
  • Stunting has detrimental long-term effects on physical, social, and cognitive development.
  • Despite global efforts, stunting prevalence in SSA remains high with significant regional disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spatial distribution of stunting among breastfeeding children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • To identify high-burden areas for stunting to guide targeted public health interventions.
  • To address the lack of studies on the spatial epidemiology of stunting at the SSA level.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Demographic and Health Survey data from 31 SSA countries, including 174,586 breastfeeding children.
  • Employed Geographic Information Systems and spatial analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*, Global Moran's I) to assess stunting clustering and patterns.
  • Applied spatial interpolation (Kriging) to predict stunting prevalence in unsampled regions.

Main Results:

  • Stunting prevalence varied widely across SSA, ranging from 17.63% to 53.68%.
  • Highest stunting rates were observed in Madagascar, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • Significant stunting clustering was identified, with hotspots in Central and Eastern Africa (e.g., Ethiopia, DRC) and cold spots in Southern Africa (e.g., Namibia, South Africa).

Conclusions:

  • Highlighted significant regional variability in stunting prevalence among children in SSA.
  • Emphasized the need for region-specific public health initiatives addressing poverty, food insecurity, and healthcare access.
  • Stressed the importance of enhanced geospatial surveillance systems for resource allocation and burden reduction.
Abstract

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