GBD 2023 Child Growth Failure Collaborators. Quantifying the Fatal and Non-Fatal Burden of Disease Associated with Child Growth Failure, 2000-2023: A Systematic Analysis from The Global Burden of Disease Study 2023

Abstract

Child growth failure (CGF), which includes underweight, wasting, and stunting, is among the factors most strongly associated with mortality and morbidity in children younger than 5 years worldwide. Poor height and bodyweight gain arise from a variety of biological and sociodemographic factors and are associated with increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. Child growth failure remains a leading factor associated with death and disability in children younger than 5 years, despite global attention and focused interventions to reduce the prevalence of associated CGF indicators.