Nutrition trends in the past fifteen years in Guinea: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data on children, adolescent girls and women

Malnutrition is a public health problem among Guinean children and women. Despite available nutrition survey data, there have been few published studies examining trends in nutrition indicators in Guinea. The objective of this research is to investigate nutrition trends in children 30 years of age, and among women residing in wealthy households. Regarding anemia, the proportion of anemic women declined slightly from 2005 to 2012. However, the prevalence in women in both surveys was above 40% and indicated a severe public health problem. This trend analysis suggests that if Guinea's stunting reduction trends are maintained for the next decade, it can likely meet international stunting targets. In women, efforts to reduce underweight should be targeted at adolescent girls and research is needed to identify the determinants of overweight and obesity in Guinean women.