Boys in Gauteng more vulnerable to stunting, malnutrition than girls - UJ study

A new study has found that boys in low-income communities in Gauteng are significantly more likely than girls to suffer from malnutrition, leaving many shorter for their age and underweight because they did not receive adequate nutrition during early childhood.

Researchers from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) found that many children attending under-resourced schools continue to lack consistent access to nutritious food, despite some improvements in long-term child nutrition.

The study found that while the prevalence of stunting, a condition caused by chronic undernutrition during the first 1,000 days of life, declined between 2020 and 2022, the proportion of underweight children doubled from 6% to 12%.

This means the number of underweight children increased from one in 16 to one in eight over the three-year period.

Dr Matshidiso Sello, a senior researcher at UJ’s Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA), said the study analysed data from 129 pupils aged between five and 10 attending under-resourced schools in Gauteng between 2020 and 2022.

The period coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, when many households lost income and social support as lockdown restrictions and economic shocks took effect.

“Stunting indicates chronic undernutrition that develops over time. It is caused specifically during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, including pregnancy,” Sello said.

“On the other hand, being underweight indicates that a child is not getting enough food or has recently experienced an illness that is affecting their weight.”

According to Sello, the decline in stunting suggests that long-term investments in maternal and child health, nutrition, social protection and school nutrition programmes may be yielding positive results.

However, she warned that the sharp increase in underweight children points to growing food insecurity among low-income households.

“For families and health workers, underweight can be an early warning sign that households are under severe economic stress. Detecting it early allows for interventions before children experience more serious health and developmental consequences,” she said.

The study also found that boys were five times more likely than girls to be underweight and more than three times as likely to be stunted.

Although the research was not designed to determine why boys are disproportionately affected, Sello said the findings mirror international evidence.

“Our findings are consistent with international research showing that boys may be more biologically vulnerable to nutritional and environmental stress during childhood,” she said.

Sowetan