Cultural and Geographical Influences on Underweight Prevalence among Preschoolers in Ghana

Abstract

Underweight prevalence among preschool children in Africa has been studied, but the effects of culture and geography remain unclear. This study used the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data for 2244 children aged 0‐59 months and generalized linear mixed models to analyze these data. The results showed that culture and geography remained significantly associated with preschool underweight prevalence after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of children, mothers, and households. Additionally, the gender of a child, size at birth, fever status, mother's BMI, insurance coverage and number of children <5 years in the household were significantly associated with underweight prevalence in Ghana. The study concluded that in addition to specific characteristics of children, mothers, and households, culturally motivated childhood dietary restrictions among the Ga/Dangme and Ewe could be reduced through appropriately targeted nutritional messages. Additionally, decreasing North‐South disparities in socioeconomic development, and improving nutritional outcomes among disadvantaged households in southern Ghana should be the focus of policies and strategies directed at reducing preschool underweight prevalence in Ghana.

Geostatistical analysis, web-based mapping, and environmental determinants of under-5 stunting: evidence from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey

“…Our finding supports previous studies that established that health outcomes such as stunting, wasting, diarrhoea, and their related mortalities exhibit spatial patterns, and identification of these spatial patterns are key to public health policy and intervention strategies aimed at improving the nutrition, health, and survival of populations nationally and globally. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] We estimated the overall national stunting prevalence to be approximately 28%, characterised by substantial localised geographical variations. The highest stunting prevalence was mainly observed in parts of the Northern region of Ghana, especially in communities in and around Kpalbe, Tatale, Saboba, Gushiegu, Chereponi, Bimbila, Damanko, and Yendi.…”

Examining the Effect of Geographic Region of Residence on Childhood Malnutrition in Uganda

“…The proportion of children under age five that are underweight has also reduced from 18% in 2001 to 11% in 2016; while there has been a marginal decrease in wasted children within the same period -1% reduction [14]. Although childhood malnutrition seems to be on a downward trend, evidence from the country and other countries in the sub-Saharan African region suggest there are significant regional variations in the prevalence of malnourished children [15][16][17][18]. The proportion of malnourished children in the Kampala region (national capital) is relatively lower than their peers in other regions.…”