Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42383191›Full record

ArticleGlobal health research and policy2026

Variations in the association between standalone and coexisting forms of undernutrition and common infectious morbidities among children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Misganaw Gebrie Worku, Theo Niyonsenga, Zelalem Mengesha, Itismita Mohanty

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Article in Global health research and policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Misganaw Gebrie WorkuHealth Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
Theo NiyonsengaHealth Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
Zelalem MengeshaHealth Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
Itismita MohantyHealth Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Undernutrition is a major driver of common infectious morbidity among children under five; however, the relationship between different forms of undernutrition and childhood infectious morbidity remains poorly understood. This study examined variations in the association between different forms of undernutrition measured according to the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) and common infectious morbidity among children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods: We performed a multilevel binary logistic regression analysis using country and community clusters as random effects. Our study utilised demographic and health survey (DHS) data collected between 2016 and 2024 in 27 SSA countries. A total weighted sample of 157, 800 under-five children whose nutritional status was assessed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) anthropometric techniques and data on Acute Respiratory tract Infection (ARI) and diarrhea recorded were included. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported, and variables' effects with a Results: The prevalence of common infectious morbidity among children under five in SSA was 30.20% (95% CI: 27.34, 33.06). The lowest and highest prevalences were reported in Mozambique (16.96%; 95% CI: 16.94, 16.98) and Uganda (53.26%; 95% CI: 53.24, 53.28), respectively. The odds of infectious morbidity significantly differs between children with standalone, double and triple forms of undernutrition. Children with double (AOR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.34 for stunting-underweight; AOR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.51 for wasting-underweight) and triple undernutrition (AOR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.36, 1.68) were more susceptible to common infectious morbidity. Conclusions: Children with coexisting undernutrition were more likely to experience common infectious morbidity, and those affected by the coexistence of stunting-wasting-underweight experienced the highest odds of infectious morbidity. Among the standalone forms, only underweight children were more likely to experience common infectious morbidity. Therefore, to mitigate the burden of childhood infectious morbidity, it is crucial for policymakers to implement targeted nutritional interventions for children experiencing coexisting undernutrition.

Indexed as

DiarrheaMalnutritionRespiratory Tract InfectionsAfrica South of the SaharaAnthropometryChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMaleMorbidityNutritional StatusPrevalenceSub-Saharan African PeopleChildrenCoexisting undernutrition formsComposite index of anthropometric failureInfectious morbidityUndernutrition

Identifiers

PMID42383191
PMCPMC13315104

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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.