Correlates of early child development among children with stunting: A cross‐sectional study in Uganda

Many children in low‐ and middle‐income countries are not attaining their developmental potential. Stunting is associated with poor child development, but it is not known which correlates of stunting are impairing child development. We explored potential socioeconomic, nutritional, clinical, and household correlates of early child development among 12–59‐month‐old children with stunting in a cross‐sectional study in Uganda. Development was assessed using the Malawi Development Assessment Tool (MDAT) across four domains of gross and fine motor, language, and social skills. Linear regression analysis was used to assess correlates of development in the four domains and total MDAT score. Of 750 children included, the median [interquartile range] age was 30 [23−41] months, 55% of the children resided in rural settings with 21% from female‐headed households and 47% of mothers had no schooling. The mean ± standard deviation height‐for‐age z‐score (HAZ) was −3.02 ± 0.74, 40% of the children had a positive malaria test and 65% were anaemic (haemoglobin