Prevalence and Causes of Undernutrition among Under-five Sudanese Children: A Mini-review

Background: Malnutrition among under-five children have significant interest for the health authorities in Sudan. This is considered by the fact that the prevalence of underweight children in Sudan is among the highest in the world and it is essential to determine its prevalence and causes, as this problem affects the future of the under-five children and the community as general. This review aimed to assess the prevalence and causes of undernutrition among under-five children in Sudan.

Methods: Published data such as peer-reviewed articles, published dissertations and official reports on malnutrition and its causes among under-five Sudanese children during the last twenty years, were collected from Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubMed, and others. The information restored was reviewed and analyzed for inconsistency.

Results: Data shows that the prevalence of under-nutrition among under-five children was high and diverse widely, and the majority of the studies were carried out in Khartoum state, which showed the prevalence of wasting (3.3 to 21.1%) stunting (20.3 to 51.0%), severe stunting (12.9 to 25.2%) and underweight and severe underweight represent 24.4 to 35.0% and 6.6 to 48.0%, respectively. The prevalence rate of malnutrition was reported to be 14.1, 23.6, and 10.7% in South Darfur IDP camps, while in North Darfur it was 14.7, 48.9, and 35.6%, for wasting, stunting, and underweight, respectively. In El Fau, Gadarif state the prevalence of moderate and severe malnutrition of the under-five children were 6% and 3.3%. Many causes were reported for malnutrition among the under-five children including bad feeding practices, childhood diseases, hygiene and sanitation, and low socioeconomic status.

Conclusion: The prevalence rate of undernutrition among the under-five Sudanese children was very high, and stunting is the main shape of malnutrition. Many causes were contributed to under-five malnutrition and improvement in infant feeding and better maternal education are significant to get a high nutritional status of the children.