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. 2024 Jan 5:10:1279130.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1279130. eCollection 2023.

Exploring disparities in malnutrition among under-five children in Nigeria and potential solutions: a scoping review

Collins John  1 , Bee Koon Poh  2 , Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin  3 , Godpower Michael  4 , Idris Adedeji  5 , Elizabeth Eberechi Oyenusi  6 , Blessing Akor  7   8 , Nkwoala C Charles  9 , Vanitha Buthmanaban  10 , Leilani Muhardi  11
Affiliations

Exploring disparities in malnutrition among under-five children in Nigeria and potential solutions: a scoping review

Collins John et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Introduction: Triple burden of malnutrition in children remains a significant public health issue. This scoping review aims to assess the information on undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and the quality of complementary feeding in various regions in Nigeria.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar databases from January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2023 to include studies focusing on 0 to 5 years old children in Nigeria, reporting data on nutritional status, nutrient deficiencies, and published in English.

Results: 73 out of 1,545 articles were included. Stunting remained alarmingly high ranging from 7.2% (Osun, South West) to 61% (Kaduna, North Central), while wasting varied from 1% (Ibadan, South West) to 29% (FCT Abuja, Central) and underweight from 5.9% (Osun, South West) to 42.6% (Kano, North West) respectively. The overall prevalence of anemia and vitamin A deficiency ranged between 55.2 to 75.1 % and 5.3 to 67.6%, respectively. Low rates of achieving minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency were reported across different states depicting the suboptimal quality of complementary feeding. The prevalence of overweight/obesity ranged from 1.5% (Rivers, South South) to 25.9% (Benue, North Central).

Conclusion: Multiple early childhood malnutrition issues exist with a wide disparity across states in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern region. Targeted nutrition interventions must be implemented to improve the situation.

Keywords: Nigeria; children below 5 years; multiple undernutrition issues; poor quality of complementary feedings; targeted interventions.

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Conflict of interest statement

VB and LM are employees of FrieslandCampina. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of study search and selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Malnutrition map of Nigeria for (A) stunting, (B) wasting, (C) underweight, (D) overweight and obesity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Urban–rural prevalence of undernutrition across a few states in Nigeria.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of undernutrition among children according to age.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Anemia prevalence in different age groups. (B) Severe vs. moderate vitamin A deficiency in different age groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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