ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2022
Optimum birth interval (36-48 months) may reduce the risk of undernutrition in children: A meta-analysis.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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12 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- Birth Spacing and Undernutrition among Children Under Five Years in Rwanda: A Secondary Data Analysis of RDHS 2019/2020.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2026Article
- Gender bias in fertility choices: how son preference increases the risk of short birth intervals in India.Tropical medicine and health · 2026Article
- Concurrent child undernutrition indicators in Malawi: application of trivariate logistic regression.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Why Do Stunting Interventions Remain Unequal in Urban Areas? A Multivariate Analysis of Subdistrict Risk Profiles in Cirebon City, Indonesia.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2026Article
- Geo-spatial pattern and determinants of composite index of anthropometric failure among children under five in Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Determinants of child malnutrition and morbidity in Ethiopia: a structural equation modeling approach.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Prevalence and determinants of stunting and anaemia in children aged 6-23 months: A multilevel analysis from rural Ethiopia.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Article
- Levels, severity, and determinants of stunting in children 0-59 months in Afghanistan: Secondary analysis of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 2022-23.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Social realities in remote villages: Infant and young child feeding in Kirewa, Uganda.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Underweight and Predictors Among Children Aged 6-59 Months in South Ethiopia.International journal of public health · 2024Article
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5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
Background: Although some studies have highlighted short birth interval as a risk factor for adverse child nutrition outcomes, the question of whether and to what extent long birth interval affects better nutritional outcomes in children remains unclear. Methods: In this quantitative meta-analysis, we evaluate the relationship between different birth interval groups and child nutrition outcomes, including underweight, wasting, and stunting. Results: Forty-six studies with a total of 898,860 children were included in the study. Compared with a short birth interval of <24 months, birth interval of ≥24 months and risk of being underweight showed a U-shape that the optimum birth interval group of 36-48 months yielded the most protective effect (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32-0.89). Moreover, a birth interval of ≥24 months was significantly associated with decreased risk of stunting (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.55-0.67) and wasting (OR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.50-0.79) when compared with the birth interval of <24 months. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that longer birth intervals (≥24 months) are significantly associated with decreased risk of childhood undernutrition and that an optimum birth interval of 36-48 months might be appropriate to reduce the prevalence of poor nutritional outcomes in children, especially underweight. This information would be useful to government policymakers and development partners in maternal and child health programs, especially those involved in family planning and childhood nutritional programs.
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