Ethnicity and anthropometric deficits in children: a cross-sectional analysis of national survey data from 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa

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Abstract
Background: Anthropometric deficits persist in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) despite sustained improvements in nutrition, disease burden and living conditions. The UN Sustainable Development Goals advocate for disaggregation of health indicators by ethnic group. However, few studies have assessed how ethnicity is associated with anthropometric deficits across SSA. Methods: Data were extracted from 37 georeferenced Demographic and Health Surveys carried out during 2006-2019 across SSA that recorded anthropometric data for children aged 1 but our study shows that this burden is unequally distributed among ethnic groups. Research is needed to understand these differences, in order to target interventions and effectively track progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2.

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