Unveiling the full picture of malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa: The extended composite index of anthropometric failure among children under-5 in the SDG era

The pooled prevalence of ECIAF in children under-5 was high in Sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing this burden requires scaling up nutrition-sensitive interventions that tackle underlying determinants of child malnutrition, including poverty reduction, women's education and empowerment, improved access to quality health services, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. Such multisectoral strategies, alongside maternal and child health interventions, are essential to mitigate the identified risk factors and sustainably reduce ECIAF in the region.