Importance of postmortem anthropometric evaluation in defining the role of malnutrition as a cause of infant and child deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: a cohort study

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate how postmortem anthropometric malnutrition (PAM) measures align with expert panel attribution of malnutrition as a causal or significant condition in under-5 mortality (U5M). Design Cohort study using data from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance network, incorporating clinical records, postmortem anthropometrics, minimally invasive tissue sampling, clinical abstraction and verbal autopsy to determine multiple causes of death. Setting/participants 1405 deaths of children aged 1-59 months from six African countries between 2016 and 2023. Primary and secondary outcome measures PAM was determined using z-scores from the WHO Child Growth Standards: underweight (weight-for-age <0.05). Adjusted multivariate regression showed that expert panel attribution was more likely with increasing severity of PAM. Conclusions The proportion of U5M attributable to malnutrition ranged between 41% (expert panel attribution) and 74% (PAM). Variability in classification underscores the need for monitoring and quality improvement measures to address discrepancies. Improved alignment between PAM and panel assessments is essential for accurately identifying malnutrition-related deaths and designing effective interventions to reduce U5M.