Stunting is a chronic condition reflecting poor nutrition and health. Our aim was to ascertain major predictors of stunting in children <5 years old in Libya.

A nationally representative, cross-sectional, two-stage stratified cluster sample survey enrolled 4549 under-fives from 6707 households. Logistic regression was used to determine individual risk factors in bivariate and multivariate analyses.

Anthropometric measurements were available for 4498 children. Among the 929 stunted children (20·7 %), 495 were boys (53·3 %) and 434 were girls (46·5 %). In multivariate analysis, risk factors were young age (1–2 years: OR = 2·32, 95 % CI 1·67, 3·22; 2–3 years: OR = 1·64, 95 % CI 1·22, 2·21), resident of Al-Akhdar (OR = 1·67, 95 % CI 1·08, 2·58), being a boy (OR = 1·28, 95 % CI 1·05, 1·55), having a less educated father (illiterate: OR = 2·10, 95 % CI 1·17, 3·77; preparatory school: OR = 1·71, 95 % CI 1·11, 2·65), poor psychosocial stimulation (no family visits or trips: OR = 1·52, 95 % CI 1·07, 2·16; father rarely/never plays with child: OR = 2·24, 95 % CI 1·20, 4·16), filtered water (OR = 8·45, 95 % CI 2·31, 30·95), throwing garbage in the street (OR = 13·81, 95 % CI 2·33, 81·72), diarrhoea (OR = 1·58, 95 % CI 1·09, 2·29) and low birth weight (OR = 1·8, 95 % CI 1·17, 2·40). Protective factors were older age of father (OR = 0·53, 95 % CI 0·32, 0·90) and water storage (OR = 0·70, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·90). These variables only explained 20 % of cases of stunting.

Various multilevel actions are needed to improve nutritional status of under-fives in Libya. At risk-groups include those with young age (1–3 years), resident of Al-Akhdar region, boys, father’s low educational level, poor psychosocial stimulation, poor housing environment, diarrhoea and low birth weight.

To determine the prevalence of anaemia and associated factors among under-fives and their mothers in a rural area of Western Uganda.

A cross-sectional investigation using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Stratified multistage sampling methods were used to select the study sample. A haemoglobinometer was used to assess Hb levels in the blood.

A rural district in Western Uganda.

Children aged 6–59 months and their mothers aged 15–49 years.

The overall prevalence of Fe-deficiency anaemia among children and their mothers was 26·2 % and 17·9 %, respectively. There was a significant correlation (r = 0·5, P = 0·008) between the Hb levels of the mothers and their children. Place of birth, age of the child, factors related to complementary foods, and formal education and nutrition knowledge of the mother were major factors that were significantly associated (r = 0·05, P = 0·05) with low Hb levels among the children. The most important factors that were associated with low Hb levels of the mothers were their formal education, nutrition knowledge and health status.

Fe-deficiency anaemia was found to be a major problem in this cohort of children and their mothers. Dietary factors and sociodemographic factors were the major factors associated with high levels of anaemia among the children and their mothers. It is therefore recommended that rural mothers should be sensitized on best practices for prevention of anaemia among both women and children.

The present study aimed to compare two situations of endemic malnutrition among <5-year-old African children and to estimate the incidence, the duration and the case fatality of severe wasting episodes.

Secondary analysis of longitudinal studies, conducted several years ago, which allowed incidence and duration to be calculated from transition rates. The first site was Niakhar in Senegal, an area under demographic surveillance, where we followed a cohort of children in 1983–5. The second site was Bwamanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we followed a cohort of children in 1989–92. Both studies enrolled about 5000 children, who were followed by routine visits and systematic anthropometric assessment, every 6 months in the first case and every 3 months in the second case.

Niakhar had less stunting, more wasting and higher death rates than Bwamanda. Differences in cause-specific mortality included more diarrhoeal diseases, more marasmus, but less malaria and severe anaemia in Niakhar. Severe wasting had a higher incidence, a higher prevalence and a more marked age profile in Niakhar. However, despite the differences, the estimated mean durations of episodes of severe wasting, calculated by multi-state life table, were similar in the two studies (7·5 months). Noteworthy were the differences in the prevalence and incidence of severe wasting depending on the anthropometric indicator (weight-for-height Z-score ≤–3.0 or mid upper-arm circumference <110 mm) and the reference system (National Center for Health Statistics 1977, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 or Multicentre Growth Reference Study 2006).

Severe wasting appeared as one of the leading cause of death among under-fives: it had a high incidence (about 2 % per child-semester), long duration of episodes and high case fatality rates (6 to 12 %).