ArticleBMC pediatrics2022
Maternal anemia and baby birth size mediate the association between short birth interval and under-five undernutrition in Ethiopia: a generalized structural equation modeling approach.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Worldwide Wellness of Mothers and Babies (WWOMB): program overview and lessons learned from Ethiopia.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Pooled it
- Determinants of Severe Acute Malnutrition Among Children Aged 6-23 Months Attending Public Hospitals in the Benadir Region, Somalia: An Unmatched Case-Control Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Magnitude of short birth intervals and associated factors among reproductive-age women in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel modified Poisson regression analysis of recent DHS data (2021-2024).Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2026Article
- Co-occurrence of maternal anemia and child undernutrition in Ethiopia: multilevel analysis of analysis of EDHS data (2005-2016).BMC public health · 2025Article
- Birth weight mediates the association of maternal undernutrition with child undernutrition prevalence in West Africa.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2024Article
- Determinants of household-, maternal- and child-related factors associated with nutritional status among children under five in Mali: evidence from a Demographic and Health Survey, 2018.Public health nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Modeling the Risk Factors of Undernutrition among Children below Five Years of Age in Uganda Using Generalized Structural Equation Models.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Iron supplementation and deworming during pregnancy reduces the risk of anemia and stunting in infants less than 2 years of age: a study from Sub-Saharan Africa.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Multilevel analysis of trends and predictors of concurrent wasting and stunting among children 6-59 months in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2019.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
- Investigating the direct and indirect associations between birth intervals and child growth and development: A cross-sectional analysis of 13 Demographic and Health Surveys.SSM - population health · 2022Article
- Optimum birth interval (36-48 months) may reduce the risk of undernutrition in children: A meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStudies assessing the association between short birth interval, a birth-to-birth interval of less than 33 months, and under-five undernutrition have produced inconclusive results. This study aimed to assess the relationship between short birth interval and outcomes of stunting, underweight, and wasting among children aged under-five in Ethiopia, and potential mediation of any associations by maternal anemia and baby birth size.
methodData from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) was used. Stunting, wasting, and underweight among children aged under-five were outcome variables. Generalized Structural Equation Modeling (GSEM) was used to examine associations between short birth interval and outcomes, and to assess hypothesized mediation by maternal anemia and baby birth size.
resultsSignificant associations between short birth interval and stunting (AOR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.35, 1.66) and underweight (AOR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.28, 1.61) were found. There was no observed association between short birth interval and wasting (AOR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.90, 1.23). Maternal anemia and baby birth size had a significant partial mediation effect on the association between short birth interval and stunting (the coefficient reduced from β = 0.337, p < 0.001 to β = 0.286, p < 0.001) and underweight (the coefficient reduced from β = 0.449, p < 0.001 to β = 0.338, p < 0.001). Maternal anemia and baby birth size mediated 4.2% and 4.6% of the total effect of short birth interval on stunting and underweight, respectively.
conclusionMaternal anemia and baby birth size were identified as mediators of the association between short birth interval and under-five undernutrition status. Policies and programs targeting the reduction of under-five undernutrition should integrate strategies to reduce maternal anemia and small baby birth size in addition to short birth interval.
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