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The purpose of this indicator is to measure the prevalence of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, specifically assessing both wasting (weight for height <-2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) and overweight (weight for height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards), to assess progress towards achieving Target 2.2: ‘By 2030 end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving by 2025 the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons’. This indicator provides essential data on the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age, specifically focusing on the prevalence of wasting and overweight, which is critical for understanding the extent and types of malnutrition affecting young children. By monitoring this indicator, policymakers, stakeholders, and organizations can make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the dual challenges of undernutrition (wasting) and overnutrition (overweight) among children under 5 years of age. This indicator helps to ensure that relevant populations, particularly children under 5 years of age and their caregivers, receive targeted interventions and support to address malnutrition effectively, thereby contributing to the overall objective of sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth. 

This indicator measures the prevalence of malnutrition among children under 5 years of age, specifically assessing both wasting (weight for height <-2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) and overweight (weight for height >+2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards), to monitor progress towards Target 2.2: ‘By 2030 end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving by 2025 the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under five years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons’. It is defined as the prevalence of overweight (weight for height >+2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age. The relevance of this indicator lies in its ability to provide critical data on the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age, specifically focusing on the prevalence of wasting and overweight, which is essential for understanding the extent and types of malnutrition affecting young children, informing policies and programs aimed at improving child health and nutrition. The data for this indicator is collected through Household Surveys, and the calculation involves generating national estimates from primary sources such as household surveys. These estimates are used to generate modelled estimates based on standardized methodology using the WHO Child Growth Standards, as outlined in the "Recommendations for data collection, analysis and reporting on anthropometric indicators in children under 5 years old" (WHO/UNICEF 2019) and WHO Anthro Survey Analyser (WHO, 2019). By tracking this indicator, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into the extent and types of malnutrition affecting young children, informing policies and programs aimed at improving child health and nutrition, enabling them to make informed decisions to promote sustainable development and address the dual challenges of undernutrition (wasting) and overnutrition (overweight) among children under 5 years of age.

Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB).

Ad-Hoc.

Percent (%). 

-    Indicator definition - Prevalence of overweight (weight for height >+2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age. 
-    Geographical coverage: National.
-    Data collection method: Household Survey.
-    Data availability: 2015

The WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) (WHO 2006) was undertaken to generate a growth standard for assessing the growth and development of infants and young children around the world. The MGRS collected primary growth data and related information from children from widely different ethnic backgrounds and cultural settings (Brazil, Ghana, India, Norway, Oman, and the USA). The resulting growth standard can be applied to all children everywhere, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status and type of feeding. The indicator refers to those moderately or severely overweight, that is with a z-score above 2 standard deviations from the median weight-for-length/height of the growth standard.

By Age group, Sex and Urban/Rural.

The calculation for SDG Indicator 2.2.2 involves generating national estimates from primary sources such as household surveys. These estimates are used to generate modelled estimates based on standardized methodology using the WHO Child Growth Standards, as outlined in the "Recommendations for data collection, analysis and reporting on anthropometric indicators in children under 5 years old" (WHO/UNICEF 2019) and WHO Anthro Survey Analyser (WHO, 2019).
The modelled estimates are generated using smoothing techniques and covariates, as described by McLain et al. (2018), applied to quality-assured national data to derive trends and up-to-date estimates. Worldwide and regional estimates are then derived as the respective country averages weighted by the countries' under-five population estimates, using annual modelled estimates generated by the Joint Malnutrition Estimates (JME) country model. These estimates provide a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of malnutrition, including wasting and overweight, among children under 5 years of age at the national, regional, and global levels.

-    International Comparisons: Compare progress in the prevalence of malnutrition (including wasting and overweight) among children under 5 years of age across different countries and regions.
-    Reporting and Accountability: Report progress to stakeholders, including governments and international organizations, to ensure accountability and transparency in achieving SDG Target 2.2.
-    Monitoring and Evaluation: Track progress towards SDG Target 2.2 and evaluate the effectiveness of the nutritional interventions.

N/A.

All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.