Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37253023›Full record

ArticlePloS one2023

Double burden of malnutrition in Afghanistan: Secondary analysis of a national survey.

Obaidullah Fahim, Shafiqullah Shahim, Ahmad Nawid Shams, Ahmad Farshid Muhammadi, Abolghassem Djazayery, Ahmad Esmaillzadeh

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Defining double burden of malnutrition across individual, household and population level: A narrative review.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Obaidullah FahimDepartment of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID 0000-0002-9196-5371
Shafiqullah ShahimFaculty of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy, Kabul University of Medical Science, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ahmad Nawid ShamsDepartment of Health Management Information System, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ahmad Farshid MuhammadiPostgratuate Medical Education Directorate (PGME), Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Abolghassem DjazayeryDepartment of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID 0000-0001-8666-0090
Ahmad EsmaillzadehDepartment of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Kabul University · AFMinistry of Public Health · AFIsfahan University of Medical Sciences · IRTehran University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundReports about the magnitude of co-existence of under- and over-nutrition is limited in Afghanistan. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of double burden of malnutrition (DBM) at individual and household level in Afghanistan.

methodsThis study was done based on the Afghanistan National Nutrition Survey 2013, which included a representative sample of 126,890 individuals (including more than 18,000 households) throughout Afghanistan. Intra-individual DBM was defined as the co-existence of "overweight/obese" and "stunting or micronutrient deficiencies" (including anemia, vitamin A deficiency, vitamin D deficiency and iodine deficiency). At the household level, DBM was considered as having at least one household member as overweight/obese and at least one another member of that household as undernourished (stunted, wasted, underweight or any micronutrient deficiency). SPSS and Stata software were used in the current analysis. Cross-tabulations was used to estimate the prevalence and its 95% confidence interval(CI). This study was ethically approved at Tehran University of Medical sciences.

resultsThe overall prevalence of intra-individual DBM was 12.5% (95% CI: 12.1; 12.9). Among the whole study participants at individual level of DBM, 11.7% (11.3; 12.1) of individuals had overweight along with stunting simultaneously and 20.5% (18.8; 22.4) had overweight and micronutrient deficiencies at the same time at individual level. The household level of DBM was found among 28.6% (95% CI: 27.9; 29.4) of households; such that 27.3% (26.6; 28.1) of households had at least one member with overweight and another member with stunting or wasting or underweight. Co-existence of overweight and micronutrient deficiencies at the same household was seen in 38.3% (35.5; 41.2).

conclusionThis study demonstrated a high prevalence of DBM at individual and household level in Afghanistan. Therefore, developing appropriate national macro-policies and strategies and designing appropriate programs such as public awareness programs, subsidization, food assistance programs, food fortification and dietary supplementation should be implemented by the ministry of public health, inter- related organs and international health agencies to reduce the burden of this problem in this country.

Indexed as

MalnutritionOverweightAfghanistanCachexiaGrowth DisordersHumansIranMicronutrientsObesityPrevalenceSocioeconomic FactorsThinnessMicronutrients

Identifiers

PMID37253023
PMCPMC10228760
OpenAlexW4378783586

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.