Burden and Distribution of Malnutrition Among Children Aged 12–60 Months: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Anthropometric Indicators and the Absence of Catch-Up Growth

Shawaiz Malik, Hassan Shahzad, Ghazala Fazal, Muhammad Waqar Shah and Daniyal Ahmed*

Department of Public Health, Health Services Academy, Pakistan

*Corresponding Author: Daniyal Ahmed, Department of Public Health, Health Services Academy, Pakistan

Received: February 17, 2026; Published: July 29, 2026

Abstract

Background: Child malnutrition remains a critical global public health challenge, with stunting, wasting, and underweight affecting millions of children and contributing to preventable morbidity, mortality, and long-term developmental consequences. Despite international efforts, progress toward achieving global nutrition targets remains insufficient, particularly in vulnerable populations. Understanding the burden and distribution of malnutrition across multiple anthropometric indicators is essential for designing effective, evidence-based interventions.

Objective: This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the burden and distribution of child malnutrition across multiple anthropometric indicators in children aged 12–60 months, examine age- and sex-specific patterns of nutritional deficits, and evaluate evidence for catch-up growth across childhood.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 330 children aged 12–60 months. Anthropometric measurements including height-for-age, weight-for-age, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were assessed and converted to percentile distributions. Data were stratified by age and sex, and statistical analyses including chi-square tests and trend analyses were performed to evaluate differences in malnutrition prevalence across demographic subgroups and to assess evidence of nutritional recovery with increasing age. Results: Overall, 51.8% of children fell below the 5^th percentile for height-for-age (stunting), 41.5% for MUAC (wasting), and 24.2% for weight-for-age (underweight), with negligible representation in upper percentile categories. Height-for-age deficits were significantly more severe than weight-for-age and MUAC deficits (χ², p < 0.001). Male children demonstrated significantly higher burden of severe malnutrition across all indicators, particularly for stunting (106 males vs. 65 females below 5^th percentile; χ², p < 0.05). Age-stratified analysis revealed peak malnutrition prevalence at 12–24 months across all indicators, with the 24-month age group showing the highest burden of severe stunting (28.7% of all stunted children), underweight (27.5%), and wasting (16.1%). Despite significant variation in anthropometric distributions across age categories (p < 0.001), trend analyses revealed no statistically significant linear improvement with increasing age for any indicator (all p > 0.05), indicating absence of meaningful catch-up growth.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates a severe burden of both chronic and acute malnutrition among children aged 12–60 months, with stunting representing the predominant form of nutritional deficit. The absence of catch-up growth across age groups and the concentration of severe deficits during the critical 12–24 month period underscore the urgent need for early, sustained, and comprehensive nutritional interventions targeting the first 1000 days of life. Gender disparities, with males disproportionately affected, warrant further investigation and may necessitate sex-specific intervention strategies. Addressing this crisis requires integrated, multisectoral approaches encompassing nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to achieve sustainable improvements in child health and development.

Keywords: Child Malnutrition; Stunting; Wasting; Anthropometry; Catch-Up Growth

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Citation

Citation: Daniyal Ahmed., et al. “Burden and Distribution of Malnutrition Among Children Aged 12–60 Months: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Anthropo- metric Indicators and the Absence of Catch-Up Growth". Acta Scientific Paediatrics 9.3 (2026): 01-12.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Daniyal Ahmed., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.