Background: Child under nutrition is an underlying factor in millions of under-five child deaths and poor cognitive
development worldwide. Whilst many studies have examined the levels and factors associated with child under
nutrition in different settings, very little has been written on the variation of child under nutrition across seasons.
This study explored seasonal food availability and child morbidity as influences of child nutritional status in Malawi.
Methods: The study used the 2004 Malawi Integrated Household Survey data. Graphical analysis of the variation of
child under nutrition, child morbidity and food availability across the 12 months of the year was undertaken to
display seasonal patterns over the year. Multivariate analysis was used to explore the importance of season after
controlling for well-established factors that are known to influence a child’s nutritional status.
Results: A surprising finding is that children were less likely to be stunted and less likely to be underweight in the
lean cropping season (September to February) compared to the post-harvest season (March to August). The odds
ratio for stunting were 0.80 (0.72, 0.90) and the odds ratio for underweight were 0.77 (0.66, 0.90). The season when
child under nutrition levels were high coincided with the period of high child morbidity in line with previous
studies. Children that were ill in the two weeks prior to survey were more likely to be underweight compared to
children that were not ill 1.18 (1.01, 1.38).
Conclusion: In Malawi child nutritional status varies across seasons and follows a seasonal pattern of childhood
illness but not that of household food availability