Risk Factors Associated With Childhood Stunting in Rwanda: A Secondary Analysis of the 2014 Nutrition, Markets and Gender (NMG) Survey

Abstract

Childhood stunting can have negative health, social, and economic outcomes. In 2015, 37.9% of children under the age of five were stunted in Rwanda. This study aimed to understand the risk factors associated with stunting specific to Rwanda in order to inform effective interventions.

The analysis found higher odds of stunting among the children of mothers who had no education compared to those with secondary education (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.34-3.36), who did not take sufficient quantities of food during the pregnancy (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.07-1.65) or did not consume a diverse diet during pregnancy (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.12-1.73). Children living in households with two or more children under two years of age (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.35-2.50), born with low birth weight (OR: 2.8, 95 CI: 1.67-4.27), born preterm (OR: 4.1, 95 CI: 1.96-8.70), not consuming animal proteins (OR: 1.7 CI: 1.49-2.02) and not drinking treated water (OR: 1.6, CI: 1.07-2.23) all have higher odds of developing stunting. Children living in households with low dietary diversity also had higher odds of stunting (OR: 2.2 CI: 1.23-3.88).

The results of the analysis suggested that women should be educated to modify their feeding behavior. Educating women can potentially influence their decision-making related to antenatal care (ANC) service attendance and to their own as well as their children’s nutrition needs. Appropriate birth spacing should be encouraged. Providing nutritional supplements to mothers at ANC appointments, increasing access to diverse food groups, and providing nutritional care for babies with low birth weight are potential interventions to address the issue of childhood stunting in Rwanda.