Burden of malnutrition among under-five children and elderly population in Southern India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Malnutrition remains a leading cause of infant mortality, primarily in low- and middle-income nations such as India. Aim: Based on the existing literature, our systematic review and meta-analysis sought to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among children and the elderly in Southern India. Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines, independent researchers searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science for studies on malnutrition among children and the elderly in Southern India. We estimated the pooled prevalence with confidence intervals (CIs) of 95% using a random-effects model. Results: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. There were 11,452 children and 1108 elderly population participants included in the review. Thirteen studies reported the prevalence of undernutrition and the pooled number of samples was 8417. The proportion of underweight in under-five children was 41% (95% CI: 36%–46%). Thirteen studies reported wasting, and the pooled sample size was 9789. The pooled proportion of wasting was 25% (95% CI: 20%–31%). Fourteen studies reported stunting, and the pooled sample size was 10,112. The pooled proportion of stunting was 33% among children. Four studies reported malnourishment or undernutrition among the elderly population in southern India. The pooled sample size was 1108 and the pooled proportion of malnourishment among the elderly population was 12% (95% CI: 1%–22%). Conclusion: Combating child malnutrition in India requires public health interventions for cases of mild malnutrition and vulnerable populations, regional strategy implementation and evaluation, investigations on overweight, obesity, and its causes, and socioeconomic development.