Abstract
BackgroundRwanda has made substantial economic progress over the past two decades. However, evidence suggests that malnutrition among children remains high in spite of this progress. This study aims to examine trends and potential risk factors associated with childhood stunting from 2000 to 2015 in Rwanda.MethodsData for this study come from the 2000 to 2015 Rwanda’s Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), a cross-sectional, population-based survey that is conducted every 5 years. Following prior work, we define stunting based on age and weight as reported in the DHS. We assess the overall prevalence of stunting among children under the age of 5 in Rwanda and then conduct bivariate analyses across a range of policy-relevant demographic, socioeconomic, and health variables. We then incorporate key variables in a multivariable analysis to identify those factors that are independently associated with stunting.ResultsThe prevalence of stunting among children under the age of 5 in Rwanda declined from 2000 (47.4%) to 2015 (38.3%), though rates were relatively stagnant between 2000 and 2010. Factors associated with higher rates of stunting included living in the lowest wealth quintile, having a mother with limited education, having a mother that smoked, being of the male sex, and being of low-birth weight.ConclusionsThough overall stunting rates have improved nationally, these gains have been uneven. Furthering ongoing national policies to address these disparities while also working to reduce the overall risk of malnutrition will be necessary for Rwanda to reach its overall economic and health equity goals.
Highlights
Rwanda has made substantial economic progress over the past two decades
Given that the persistent burden of stunting conflicts with the overall improvements in health outcomes in the country, this study aims to examine trends and explore potential risk factors associated with childhood stunting from 2000 to 2015 in Rwanda
The prevalence of childhood stunting was persistently higher among families from the poorest wealth quintile, remaining relatively stable between 2000 and 2015, (51.4% vs. 48.3%, respectively); whereas, children in households in the highest wealth quintile demonstrated an overall decline during that same time period (29.3% vs. 21.6%)
Summary
Rwanda has made substantial economic progress over the past two decades. evidence suggests that malnutrition among children remains high in spite of this progress. Malnutrition is associated with stunting as well as chronic malnutrition among children as measured by the resultant effect of stunting has declined globally by an estimated 40 million cases between 1980 and 2000 [7]. This progress has not been evenly distributed throughout the world [7]. Some studies have shown an overall modest decline in stunting across Africa, with the overall prevalence decreasing from 40.5% in 1980 to 35.2% in 2000; yet other evidence over. The region of East Africa, where Rwanda is situated, witnessed the highest rates of stunting and was the only region to witness a net increase in the prevalence of stunting from 1980 to 2000 (by 0.08% per year) [7]
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