Socioeconomic Inequalities in Child Undernutrition Among Children Under Five in Kenya: Evidence from The 2022 KDHS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5449Abstract
The study examined the prevalence and trends of stunting, wasting and overweight, their socioeconomic differentials, and the coverage of infant and young child feeding practices against WHO recommendations among children aged 0–59 months in Kenya. The study was guided by Grossman's Demand for Health Model and the UNICEF Conceptual Framework on the Determinants of Child Undernutrition. Descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. The study used aggregated published indicators from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey Key Indicators Report. Descriptive and comparative analysis was applied across study objectives. No individual-level regression analysis was conducted as the study utilized aggregated published tabulations. The study found that Kenya achieved a 22-percentage point reduction in stunting from 40% in 1993 to 18% in 2022-a 55% reduction over three decades-with the most rapid decline occurring between 2008–09 and 2022. Wasting declined from 7% to 5% and overweight from 6% to 3% over the same period. Moreover, the study found socioeconomic inequalities persist in 2022: children in the poorest wealth quintile record stunting of 27.6% compared to 8.7% in the richest-a gap of 18.9 percentage points. Children of mothers with no education record wasting of 15.4% compared to 3.2% among those with more than secondary education-a gap of 12.2 percentage points. Rural children record stunting of 20.3% compared to 12.1% among urban children. An emerging double burden of malnutrition is documented, with wealthier and urban children simultaneously recording the highest overweight rates. Infant and young child feeding practices fall critically short of WHO benchmarks: minimum acceptable diet coverage stands at only 30.8%, iron supplementation at 23.0%, sweet beverage consumption affects 49.1% of children aged 6–23 months, and bottle feeding affects 33.6% of children aged 0–23 months. The study concludes that child undernutrition in Kenya is simultaneously a problem of chronic socioeconomic inequality and inadequate feeding practices. The study recommends designation of high-burden counties as priority intervention areas, urgent scale-up of iron supplementation toward universal coverage, investment in maternal education beyond primary level, and targeted behavior change communication to improve dietary diversity and eliminate unhealthy feeding practices among children aged 0–59 months in Kenya.
Keywords: Child undernutrition, stunting, wasting, overweight, socioeconomic inequalities, infant and young child feeding practices, Kenya, KDHS 2022
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