A comparison of child nutritional status in two agro‐ecological zones of Ghana: Is location an important determinant?

Childhood malnutrition is a public health concern in Sub‐Saharan Africa because of its negative impact on child health and survival. The prevalence of malnutrition was documented in two agro‐ecological zones of Ghana: the mid‐country Transitional and the drier northern Guinea Savanna. The study objective was to compare child nutritional status between zones to determine the importance of geographic location to child nutrition. Anthropometric data were collected on 383 children 2–5 y of age. The mean weight‐for‐age (−1.10 vs. −0.83; p<0.01) and weight‐for‐height (−0.40 vs. −0.13; p<0.01) Z‐scores were significantly lower in the Guinea Savanna than in the Transitional zone. However, there was no significant difference in mean height‐for‐age Z‐score (−1.44 vs. −1.32; p = 0.29). Likewise, there were no between‐zone differences in rate of underweight (13.2% vs. 7.9%; p = 0.10), wasting (3.2% vs. 4.1%; p = 0.61), or stunting (27.5% vs. 28.0%; p = 0.91). This pattern (lower mean weight‐related Z‐scores without an increased proportion of very low weight‐related Z‐scores) suggests that location negatively shifts the distribution of children with low or normal weight‐for‐age or weight‐for‐height (i.e. >−2 Z‐scores) but other factors determine severe malnutrition prevalence. Effective nutrition intervention programs need to understand the selective influence that geographic location may have on child nutrition.