Why is child malnutrition persistent in Malawi? An explanation from the 1992-2010 Demographic Health Surveys

Grace Kumchulesi, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)

This paper uses individual datasets from the 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2010 Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys to shed some light on the persistence of child malnutrition in Malawi. We investigate how the proportions of stunted and underweight children have changed since 1992. We also look at how the coefficients of the determinants of child malnutrition have changed over the period. Descriptive and regression analysis are employed to achieve the objectives of the study. The results indicate that the distribution of the behaviors that affect child malnutrition did not change since 1992. For example, education of the mother has always affected nutrition of the mother. Our findings suggest that, if Malawi is to achieve her strategic health objectives and millennium development target of reducing the prevalence of malnutrition, it should focus on improving the impact of the determinants of child malnutrition that improve nutrition of children.