Burden and associated risk factors of undernutrition among displaced pregnant and lactating women: A scoping review

Adequate nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining women's health and ensuring the healthy growth and development of infants and children. However, during emergencies and displacement, multiple factors can disrupt adequate maternal and child nutrition. The aim of this study was to explore the available literature reporting the prevalence and associated risk factors of undernutrition among displaced pregnant and lactating women. This review follows the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews. An electronic search was conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The Emergency Nutrition Network and ReliefWeb websites were also explored for grey literature. The prevalence of wasting among pregnant and lactating women varied widely, reaching 77% in Tigray internally displaced person (IDP) camps. The underweight prevalence ranged from 9.3% in a Nigerian IDP camp to 26.7% in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Anemia was common, affecting up to 44.7% of pregnant Syrian refugees in Jordan. Maternal age, family size, childbirth interval, family income, and lack of education were the main factors associated with undernutrition among displaced pregnant and lactating women. Acknowledging the burden of undernutrition and identifying the most frequent risk factors, should inform the development of relevant nutrition interventions in different displacement settings.