Double burden of malnutrition in two Nigerian states

Background: Double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is the co-existence of
overweight/obesity and undernutrition. Rising prevalence rates of
childhood overweight/obesity in Nigeria have been reported, whilst
undernutrition continues to be prevalent. This study aimed to estimate the
prevalence and distribution of underweight, stunting, thinness,
overweight/obesity, and the DBM among school-aged children and adolescents
in Gombe and Osun States in Nigeria. Methods: This was a community-based
cross-sectional study carried out in Osun and Gombe States in 2019 – 2020.
A total of 1,200 children aged 6 – 19 years were recruited using
multi-stage sampling technique. Weight, height and data on demographic,
socio-economic, household/family characteristics of the children were
collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaires.
Nutritional status was calculated using the WHO 2007 reference values
using BMI-for-age (thinness, overweight/obesity), height-for-age
(stunting) and weight-for-age (underweight). DBM was described at the
population and individual levels. Results: The mean age of the respondents
was 11.6 ± 3.8 years. The overall prevalence rate of stunting was 34.9%,
underweight was 13.5%, thinness was 10.3% and overweight/obese was 11.4%
and 4.0% had individual level DBM, which typifies the DBM at individual
and population levels. These rates differed significantly across
demographic, socio-economic and household/family characteristics (p
< 0.05). Gombe State, which is in the Northern part of Nigeria, had
significantly higher burden of stunted, underweight and thin children than
Osun State, while Osun State, in the Southern part of Nigeria, had a
significantly higher burden of overweight/obesity. Conclusions: The study
found evidence of DBM both at population and individual levels. The
overall prevalence rates of stunting, underweight, thinness and
overweight/obesity in this study were high, and they differed
significantly across the demographic, socio-economic and household/family
characteristics. There is the need for government and all other
stakeholders to design nutritional educational programmes that will target
both under- and over-nutrition among older children in the different
contexts