MULTIPLE MALNUTRITION BURDENS IN
CHILDREN UNDER FIVE AND WOMEN OF
REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN WEST AFRICA
Roos Verstraeten and Loty Diop
International Food Policy Research Institute

2
A regional platform to enable effective policy and
programmatic action on nutrition
Knowledge
generation
Knowledge
Mobilisation

3
Global burden of malnutrition
Source: Development initiatives 2017, Global Nutrition Report 2017:
Nourishing the SDGs. Bristol, UK: Development initiatives.

Malnutrition in West Africa
4
5
7
2
5
9
2
8 8
14
9
16
12
24
12
29
31
37
22
49
38
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Asia Latin america West Africa Africa
U5 Overweight
U5 Wasting
Low birth weight
U5 Stunting
WRA Anaemia
%
Based on the Global Nutrition Report 2017

5
Multiple malnutrition burdens in U5 children for West African countries
Source: Inception report Transform Nutrition West Africa
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Stunting
Overweight
Wasting
Malnutrition in West Africa – U5

Malnutrition in West Africa - WRA
6
Prevalence of overweight among adult females
Based on WHO, Global health repository
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Benin
Burkina Faso
Ghana
Mali
Nigeria
Senegal
%

Assess the multiple
malnutrition burdens in
under five children (U5) and
women of reproductive age
(WRA) in West Africa
Objective
(Photo – Elodie Becquey)
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U5 children WRA
A secondary data analysis using Demographic Health Surveys
and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys for all WA countries
Method
U5 Overweight
Low Birth Weight
U5 Stunting
U5 Anaemia
U5 Anaemia
WRA Overweight
WRA Thinness
≥ 30%
≥ 40%
≥ 3%
≥ 10%
≥ 40%
≥ 10%
≥ 30%

What is
happening in
U5 children?
9

2
2 1
Anaemia
(6)
Stunting
(0)
4
Overweight
(0)
Stunting and overweight
Liberia
Triple burden
Guinea, Mali, Sierra
Leone and Niger
Stunting and anaemia
Benin and Nigeria
Anemia and overweight
Gambia and Ivory Coast
Single burden of Anaemia
Burkina faso, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Mauritania and Cabo Verde 10
U5 children

Low birth weight
Anaemia
Overweight
Stunting
B
Nigeria
Benin
C
Ivory Coast
Gambia
D
Guinea
Mali
Sierra Leone
Niger
E
Liberia
A
Burkina Faso
Senegal
Ghana
Togo
Mauritania
Guinea-Bissau
Cabo Verde
A: Anaemia and LBW
B : Anaemia, stunting,
and LBW
C: Anaemia, LBW, and
overweight
D: Anaemia, stunting,
LBW, and overweight
E : Stunting, LBW, and
overweight

• 10 countries face multiple
malnutrition burdens
simultaneously
• Most common double burden:
anaemia and overweight
• Guinea, Gambia, Mali, Nigeria
and Senegal plagued by a
quadruple burden of
overweight, anaemia, stunting,
and LBW
12
What is
happening in
U5 children?

What is the extent of
the double burden in
WRA? 13

Thinness and overweight
Mauritania
Triple burden of all three
indicators
Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia,
Mali and Guinea
Thinness and anemia
Niger and Burkina Faso
Anemia and overweight
Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone
Ghana, Benin, Guinea-
Bissau, Togo
2
6 1
Anaemia
(0)
Thinness
(0)
5
Overweight
(2)
Single burden of Overweight
Liberia and Cabo Verde 14
WRA

What is the extent of
the double burden in
WRA? 15
• Most common double
burden: anaemia and
overweight
• Guinea, Gambia, Mali,
Nigeria and Senegal
plagued by a triple burden
of overweight, anaemia and
wasting

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High burden of multiple forms of undernutrition, while also
facing the burden of overweight in WRA and, to a lesser extent,
in U5
Conclusion and next steps
What drives these multiple burdens?
Understand the spatial distribution of the multiple burden
Which of these drivers are shared?
Formulate actions and strategies