Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36820029›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2023

Is stunting in children under five associated with the state of vegetation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? Secondary analysis of Demographic Health Survey data and the satellite-derived leaf area index.

Freddy Bangelesa, Anne Hatløy, Branly Kilola Mbunga, Paulin B Mutombo, Mwanack Kakule Matina, Pierre Z Akilimali, Heiko Paeth, Mala Ali Mapatano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Children's Characteristics as the Predictors of Stunting among Children Under 2 Years in East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine
    Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Freddy BangelesaKinshasa School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo.
Anne HatløyCentre for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Branly Kilola MbungaKinshasa School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo.
Paulin B MutomboKinshasa School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo.
Mwanack Kakule MatinaResearch Center of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Population Health and Optimal Practices Research Unit (Trauma-Emergency-Critical Care Medicine), Quebec City, Canada.
Pierre Z AkilimaliKinshasa School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo.
Heiko PaethInstitute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Wuerzburg, Germany.
Mala Ali MapatanoKinshasa School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of stunting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the highest globally. However, only a few studies have attempted to measure the association between stunting and vegetation, which is an important food source. The leaf area index (LAI) is an excellent measure for the vegetation state. Objective: This paper intended to measure the association between the LAI and stunting among children under five years of age in the DRC. Its aim was to better understand the boundary conditions of stunting and explore potential links to climate and environmental change. Methods: This paper adopts a secondary data analysis approach. We used data on 5241 children from the DRC Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 2013-2014, which was collected from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. We used the satellite-derived LAI as a measure for the state of vegetation and created a 10-km buffer to extract each DHS cluster centroid's corresponding mean leaf-area value. We used a generalised mixed-effect logistic regression to measure the association between LAI and stunting, adjusting the model for mother's education, occupation and birth interval, as well as child's age and national wealth quintile. A height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) was calculated and classified according to WHO guidelines. Results: Children in communities surrounded by high LAI values have lower odds of being stunted (OR [odds ratio] = 0.63; 95% CI [confidence interval] = 0.47-0.86) than those exposed to low LAI values. The association still holds when the exposure is analysed as a continuous variable (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.74-0.95).When stratified in rural and urban areas, a significant association was only observed in rural areas (OR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.39-0.81), but not in urban areas (OR = 0.9; 95% CI = 0.5-0.5). Furthermore, the study showed that these associations were robust to LAI buffer variations under 25 km. Conclusions: Good vegetation conditions have a protective effect against stunting in children under five years of age. Further advanced study designs are needed to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

CI, Confidence IntervalDHA, Demographic and Health SurveyDRC, the Democratic Republic of the CongoHAZ, Height-for-Age Z-scoreLAI, Leaf Area IndexLeaf area indexNutritionOR, Odds RationStuntingVegetation

Identifiers

PMID36820029
PMCPMC9937978

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.