Evidence mapPaperPMID 40564644Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Assessment of Stunting and Its Effect on Wasting in Children Under Two in Rural Madagascar.

Rosita Rotella, María Morales-Suarez-Varela, Agustín Llopis-Gonzalez, José M Soriano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rosita RotellaResearch Group in Social and Nutritional Epidemiology, Pharmacoepidemiology and Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
María Morales-Suarez-VarelaResearch Group in Social and Nutritional Epidemiology, Pharmacoepidemiology and Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-0785-1492
Agustín Llopis-GonzalezResearch Group in Social and Nutritional Epidemiology, Pharmacoepidemiology and Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-8701-6918
José M SorianoObservatory of Nutrition and Food Safety for Developing Countries, Food & Health Lab, Institute of Materials Science, University of Valencia, Carrer Catedrático Agustín Escardino 9, 46980 Paterna, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-2846-1311

Funding

Universitat de Valencia 2022/0197
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesThis study aims to determine the prevalence of stunting in children under two years old and its association with the maternal profile (including anthropometric measurements), care, feeding practices, and socioeconomic level. It also attempts to assess if stunting may contribute to an underestimation of wasting by performing a preliminary speculative analysis using the expected height for age instead of the real observed height of the children.

methodsThe study employed a cross-sectional design, examining mother-child pairs in the rural municipality of Ampefy in the Itasy Region of Madagascar, between 2022 and 2023. A total of 437 mother-child (0-24 months) pairs participated in the study. A questionnaire was administered to collect data on the maternal lifestyle. Maternal medical histories were reviewed, and anthropometric parameters of both the mothers and their child were taken by specialized and trained health professionals with multiple years of experience.

resultsThe prevalence of stunting in children was 57.4% (95% CI: 52.64-62.10). Stunting was associated with maternal anthropometric measurements (

conclusionsStunting affected over half of the children included in the study (57.4%), but the prevalence of wasting was below what was expected, at 12.4%. In the preliminary speculative analysis using the expected height for age, it was estimated that wasting could possibly affect up to 42.3% of the children. This discrepancy, while it cannot be taken as factual due to the nature of the analysis, could serve as a warning that perhaps the elevated rates of stunting may be masking wasting in some children and other forms of nutritional assessments may be needed in areas where stunting is prevalent.

Indexed as

infant malnutritionMadagascarnutritional programsstuntingwasting

Identifiers

PMID40564644
PMCPMC12191333

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.