Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in child undernutrition : evidence from Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2003 – 2013)

Blessing J. Akombi, Kingsley E. Agho, Andre M. Renzaho, John J. Hall, Dafna R. Merom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the trend in socioeconomic inequalities in child undernutrition in Nigeria. Methods: The study analysed cross-sectional data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2003 to 2013. The outcome variables were stunting, wasting and underweight among children under-five years. The magnitude of child undernutrition in Nigeria was estimated via a concentration index, and the socioeconomic factors contributing to child undernutrition over time were determined using the decomposition method. Results: The concentration index showed an increase in childhood wasting and underweight in Nigeria over time. The socioeconomic factors contributing to the increase in child undernutrition were: child’s age (0–23 months), maternal education (no education), household wealth index (poorest household), type of residence (rural) and geopolitical zone (North East, North West). Conclusions: To address child undernutrition, there is a need to improve maternal education and adopt effective social protection policies especially in rural communities in Nigeria.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0211883
Number of pages13
JournalPLoS One
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2019 Akombi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Keywords

  • Nigeria
  • children
  • malnutrition
  • nutrition

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