Abstract
Background: Child malnutrition is a major epidemiological problem in developing countries, especially in African countries. Nutrition education for mothers can alleviate this malnutrition in their young children. The objective of this study was to make a systematic review to assess the effect of intervention programs in nutrition education for African mothers on the nutritional status of their infants. Methods: A bibliographic search was carried out in the PubMed database for clinical trials between November 2012 and 2021. The studies should contain educational programs to evaluate the impact on the infant’s nutritional indicators in children under 5 years (food consumption, anthropometry and/or knowledge of nutrition in caretakers). Results: A total of 20 articles were selected, of which 53% evaluated infant’s food consumption, 82% anthropometric measurements and 30% nutritional knowledge. In general, nutritional education programs are accredited with some significant improvements in food and nutrient consumption, knowledge and dietary practices in complementary feeding, but only those studies that implemented strategies in agriculture, educational workshops and supplementation obtained reductions in chronic malnutrition figures. Limitations: There is high heterogeneity in the articles included, since the intervention programs have different approaches. Conclusions: Programs that implemented actions of national agriculture or nutritional supplementation reap the greatest benefits in curbing infant malnutrition.
Highlights
Child malnutrition is a worrying public health problem in developing countries.According to 2019 statistics, it is estimated that worldwide, one in five children under5 years of age has some degree of malnutrition, about 150 million suffer from insufficient stature and almost 50 million are wasted [1]
The present study aims to carry out a systematic review to assess the effect of intervention programs in nutrition education, designed for African mothers, on the nutritional status of children of infant age
Clinical trials were included that carried out intervention programs in nutrition education for mothers or caregivers of children less than 5 years of age who were African and malnourished
Summary
Child malnutrition is a worrying public health problem in developing countries.According to 2019 statistics, it is estimated that worldwide, one in five children under5 years of age has some degree of malnutrition, about 150 million suffer from insufficient stature and almost 50 million are wasted [1]. To the main underlying drivers of food insecurity, such as climate change, conflict and economic recessions, the impact of COVID-19 has recently been added, disproportionately affecting the African continent [3]. Children under the age of five are the most affected by malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa [4]. Child malnutrition is a major epidemiological problem in developing countries, especially in African countries. Nutrition education for mothers can alleviate this malnutrition in their young children. The objective of this study was to make a systematic review to assess the effect of intervention programs in nutrition education for African mothers on the nutritional status of their infants. The studies should contain educational programs to evaluate the impact on the infant’s nutritional indicators in children under 5 years (food consumption, anthropometry and/or knowledge of nutrition in caretakers). Results: A total of 20 articles were selected, of which 53% evaluated infant’s food consumption, 82% anthropometric measurements and
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