A Review of Selected Studies on the Factors Associated with the Nutrition Status of Children Under the Age of Five Years in South Africa

Abstract

Malnutrition is a considerable contributor to child mortality and morbidity. Child malnutrition further affects the country’s economic development. Child malnutrition in South Africa is persistent, continuing to be an alarming burden. The nutritional status of kids under the age of five years is a critical indicator of the country’s economic condition and health status. An understanding of the influencers of the nutritional status of children can act as a catalyst in combatting all forms of malnutrition. The purpose of this paper was to review selected studies concerning the factors that affect the nutritional status of children in South Africa. Studies were selected from electronic databases, which were PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Sabinet African Journals, and the University of Zululand library catalog. The keywords that were used to search studies and articles from the selected database were: risk factors, child nutritional status, children under the age of five years, South Africa, malnutrition, underweight, stunted, wasting, and over-nutrition. Studies and surveys published from 2010–2019 that reported on the factors influencing the nutritional status of children under the age of five years were included in this review. Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria of the study. The 27 articles were made up of 21 cross-sectional articles and six longitudinal articles. The finding from this review highlights that there is a lack of studies conducted in urban areas. The results show that the nutritional status of children is affected by several factors. These include household food insecurity, low household income, illiterate caregivers, unemployment, inadequate dietary intake, low birth weight, consumption of monotonous diets, poor caregiver’s nutritional knowledge, poor access to water and sanitation, poor weaning practices, age of the caregiver, and demographic characteristics of a child (age and gender). It is critical to have an understanding of the factors that affect the nutritional status of children. Such knowledge can significantly contribute to formulating policies that can enhance nutrition security and the country’s economy. Moreover, insights into strategic interventions to eradicate all forms of malnutrition can be made.

Relationship between Environment, Smoking Behavior, Education, Poverty, and Prevalence of Stunted Toddler in Indonesia: An Ecological Analysis

“…The information from this analysis is in line with previous research in South Africa and Pakistan (Mahmood et al, 2020;Mkhize and Sibanda, 2020). Lack of sanitation facilities is also informed as a determinant of the stunted toddler (Mahmood et al, 2020).…”

“…The study was conducted by reviewing 27 articles between 2010-2019 that reported on the factors influencing the nutritional status of children under the age of five years. The results of the review show that poor access to water is one of the determinants of stunted toddlers (Mkhize and Sibanda, 2020). Otherwise, previous studies in Indonesia, on a smaller scale, found different information.…”

Relationship between Environment, Smoking Behavior, Education, Poverty, and Prevalence of Stunted Toddler in Indonesia: An Ecological Analysis

“…The study was conducted by reviewing 27 articles between 2010-2019 that reported on the factors in uencing the nutritional status of children under the age of ve years. The results of the review show that poor access to water is one of the determinants of stunted toddlers (Mkhize and Sibanda, 2020). Otherwise, previous studies in Indonesia, on a smaller scale, found different information.…”

“…On the other hand, environmental factors were also found to be closely related to the incidence of stunting. It is informed that the availability of proper drinking water and environmental sanitation play a role as a determinant of stunting (Mkhize and Sibanda, 2020). Meanwhile, poverty and poor education cannot be separated as the dominant characteristics of households that have stunted toddlers (Buisman et al, 2019).…”

Childhood Malnutrition: Time for Action

“…Approximately 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age can be attributed to undernutrition [ 6 ]. Childhood undernutrition may result in long-term effects that are irreversible, including impaired physical growth and cognitive development [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Furthermore, undernutrition may reduce sensory-motor abilities, reproductive function and increase children’s vulnerability to infections and hereditary diseases, such as diabetes [ 9 , 10 ].…”