Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40119350›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Identification of amendable risk factors for childhood stunting at individual, household and community levels in Northern Province, Rwanda - a cross-sectional population-based study.

Albert Ndagijimana, Kristina Elfving, Aline Umubyeyi, Torbjörn Lind

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Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Albert NdagijimanaDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. albert.ndagijimana@umu.se.
Kristina ElfvingSchool of Public Health and Community Medicine, Gothenburg University and The Queen Silvia's Children Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Aline UmubyeyiCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
Torbjörn LindDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood stunting, defined as height-for-age below - 2 standard deviations (SD), disproportionately affects the Northern Province of Rwanda. We investigated risk factors contributing to stunting in this region at individual, household, and societal/community levels to inform future interventions.

methodsWe conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study using a quantitative questionnaire in households with children aged 1-36 months in the Northern Province. Anthropometric measurements of children and mothers were taken to estimate nutritional status. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to identify independent risk factors of stunting, reporting odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals and p-values.

resultsOverall, stunting prevalence was 27.1% in children aged 1-36 months. At the individual level, boys exhibited 82% higher risk of stunting compared to girls (aOR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.78). Household-level factors such as maternal height and BMI were inversely associated with the risk of childhood stunting (aOR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.97 and aOR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.99, respectively). Other risk factors included no breastfeeding at the time of interview (aOR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.23, 3.25), presence of twins or triplets aged 1-36 months (aOR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.21, 5.57), female-headed (single parent) households (aOR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.00, 4.26), and absence of handwashing facilities near the toilet (aOR: 3.30, 95% CI: 1.36, 7.98). No societal/community factors were significantly associated with childhood stunting in the Northern Province.

conclusionChildhood stunting in the Northern Province of Rwanda is associated with several factors that could lend themselves to interventions, e.g., improved handwashing facilities, improved childcare practices and targeting vulnerable groups such as boys, households with twins or single parents. Additionally, a thorough exploration of identified risk factors through qualitative approaches involving all stakeholders in child and maternal nutrition is warranted.

Indexed as

Growth DisordersAdultChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFamily CharacteristicsFemaleHumansInfantMalePrevalenceResidence CharacteristicsRisk FactorsRwandaSurveys and QuestionnairesChildCommunityFactorsHouseholdIndividualLMICsRwandaStuntingSub-Saharan AfricaUndernutrition

Identifiers

PMID40119350
PMCPMC11927283

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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.