Assessing the prevalence of undernutrition using the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) among young children in a rural community in Oyo State, Nigeria

Objective: To assess the prevalence of undernutrition in young children using conventional indicators (wasting, stunting and underweight) and the relatively recent Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) . Methods: Anthropometric assessments (weight and length/height) were conducted on children (0–5 years) from 99 households in a rural community in Oyo State. Z-scores were calculated, and undernutrition defined as z-scores below minus two standard deviations from the median of the standard World Health Organization reference population. Results: The mean age of the children was 30.46 ± 16.40 months. There were 62 females (62.6%) and 37 males (37.4%). The data showed that (14)14.1% were wasted, (33)33.1% stunted and (23)23.2% underweight. The CIAF distinguished seven sub-groups of anthropometric status, namely, group A 'normal'-(52)52.5%, group B 'wasted only'- (12)12.1%, group C 'wasted and underweight' - 19(19.2%) and group D 'stunted, wasted and underweight' - 2(2.0%) . Others are group E 'stunted and underweight' - (5)5.1%, group F 'stunted only'- (7)7.1% and lastly, group Y 'underweight only'- (2)2.0%. The CIAF counted a total of (47)47.5% of children in groups B to Y who were in a state of 'Anthropometric Failure', thus revealing a higher prevalence of undernutrition than the conventional indicators. Conclusion: The CIAF identified children with multiple failures and provided a single aggregated figure of the number of affected children, thereby reflecting the overall magnitude of undernutrition in the study population. The CIAF could therefore serve as a useful complement to the conventional indicators for reporting prevalence of undernutrition. Keywords: Anthropometry, Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure, undernutrition