Abstract
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is still a major global public health issue, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where millions of children suffer from stunting, a chronic form of the disease. In addition to limiting physical growth, stunting also impedes social and cognitive development, which frequently has long-term effects. Stunting is still incredibly common in SSA, with notable regional variations, despite international efforts to address hunger. Moreover, no studies have been conducted to assess the spatial distribution of stunting at the SSA level. Therefore, to pinpoint high-burden areas and guide focused treatments; this study intends to investigate the spatial distribution of stunting among breastfeeding children in SSA. METHODS: The demographic and Health Survey data from 31 SSA nations were used for this study. The investigation included a total of 174,586 breastfeeding children. Stunting clustering and geographic patterns were evaluated using Geographic Information Systems and spatial analytic methods such as Getis-Ord Gi* and Global Moran's I. Stunting prevalence in unsampled areas was predicted using spatial interpolation (Kriging techniques). For the participants, descriptive statistics were calculated. RESULT: Stunting prevalence in SSA varied from 17.63% to 53.68%, with Madagascar (39.43%), Burundi (42.40%), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (53.68%) having the highest rates. Significant clustering of stunting was found by spatial analysis (Moran's I: 0.639, p < 0.001), with hotspots primarily located in Central and Eastern Africa, such as Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Southern Africa, cold locations like Namibia and South Africa were found to have lower stunting rates. CONCLUSION: The significant regional variability in the prevalence of stunting among nursing children in SSA was highlighted by this study. In order to address underlying variables including poverty, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare, the findings highlighted the necessity of region-specific public health initiatives. To lessen the burden of stunting and its long-term effects, improved geospatial surveillance systems are crucial for locating high-risk locations and directing the distribution of resources.