Trends and Determinants of Children's Wasting and Women's Thinness in Chad, 2015 to 2021.

This article analyzes national and subnational trends in child wasting and women's thinness in Chad from 2015 to 2021 using data from annual Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) surveys. Findings indicate that rates of acute malnutrition have remained persistently high, with no significant national decline over the period, and an increase in child wasting observed from 2020 to 2021, likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Saharan and Sahelian agroecological zones consistently exhibited higher rates of wasting and thinness compared to the Sudanian zone, with risk factors including younger age, male sex, poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, and lower household socioeconomic status. The study recommends multisectoral and regionally targeted interventions, such as community-based malnutrition management, mobile nutrition services for marginalized populations, and social and behavior change programs to improve nutrition knowledge and practices.