Socioeconomic Characteristics and Risk Factors Associated with Child Malnutrition in Senegal: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The global community continues to face numerous challenges, such as climate change, poverty, access to education and healthcare, etc. Among these challenges, few rival malnutrition in terms of severity. Malnutrition is a scourge that affects every country in the world. It is extremely serious, yet it seems to be insufficiently addressed (IFPRI, 2016). In Africa alone, stunted growth in children under five causes at least one in ten deaths. In addition, children who suffer from stunting before their fifth birthday have their schooling reduced by 0.2 to 1.2 years compared to those who have not suffered from it. There is also a 1 to 8% reduction in the labour force on the continent due to stunting in children. This is particularly significant given that stunting is associated with 7% to 16% of grade repetition among schoolchildren, and African countries lose between 1.9% and 16.5% of their annual gross domestic product (GDP) due to stunting in children (ARNS 2015-2025). The purpose of this study is to analyse the risk factors associated with malnutrition in children under 5 years of age in Senegal. To achieve these objectives, we used a logistic model. The data used comes from the 2019 Senegal Demographic and Health Survey and covers a total of 8,800 households, including 4,092 in urban areas and 4,708 in rural areas. The results show that the individual characteristics of children under 5 and household characteristics have a significant impact on their nutritional status. Meanwhile, the characteristics of parents show rather mixed results. The findings of this research should help decision-makers identify the socio-economic levers that can serve as a springboard to significantly reduce or even eradicate child malnutrition in Senegal.

Classification JEL: I14.

Paper type: Empirical Research