Double burden of malnutrition in Guatemala: co-existence of childhood stunting and overweight and obesity within the household.

Abstract

This paper defines the double burden of malnutrition as occurring when over- and undernutrition coexist within a household. It is most common in countries undergoing the nutrition transition where cheap and accessible food is often of poor quality. This brief narrative review examines four cycles of reports from the Epidemiological Health and Nutrition Surveillance System (SIVESNU, Spanish acronym) in Guatemala between 2015-2018/19, examining the following indicators: overall double burden of stunting among children aged ≤59 months and overweight or obesity among women aged 15-49 years in the same household, and individual stunting, overweight, and obesity by indigenous/non-indigenous ethnicity. The review also incorporates double burden prevalence in Guatemala from the literature since 1995. In 1995, the double burden prevalence was 13.4%, and negligible change occurred from 2000 to 2018/19 (18.2% and 17.6%, respectively). Individual level prevalences for stunting, overweight, and obesity were notable, with large disparities in stunting prevalence by ethnicity.