Long-Term Impact of Climate Variability on Child Malnutrition: Exploring Nutrition-Sensitive Advisory Services Interventions in Vulnerable Populations of Semi-Arid Nigeria

Long-Term Impact of Climate Variability on Child Malnutrition: Exploring Nutrition-Sensitive Advisory Services Interventions in Vulnerable Populations of Semi-Arid Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Long-Term Impact of Climate Variability on Child Malnutrition: Exploring Nutrition-Sensitive Advisory Services Interventions in Vulnerable Populations of Semi-Arid Nigeria Abdulrazaq K. Daudu, Sidiqat A. Aderinoye-Abdulwahab, Oyedola W. Kareem, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7982541/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the long-term impact of climate variability on child malnutrition in semi-arid Nigeria, focusing on the role of Nutrition-Sensitive Advisory Services (NSAS) interventions. Given the increasing vulnerability of rural populations to climate-induced food insecurity, this research evaluates how NSAS participation influences dietary diversity, anthropometric indicators, and overall nutritional outcomes. Using a mixed-methods approach, primary data were collected through household surveys and dietary assessments, while secondary data from meteorological records and health reports provided climate and nutrition trends over the past three decades. An econometric modelling framework, including panel data regression analysis, was used to estimate the relationship between climate variability (temperature and precipitation anomalies) and malnutrition outcomes (stunting, wasting). Additionally, difference-in-differences (DiD) and propensity score matching (PSM) techniques assessed the effectiveness of NSAS interventions. Findings reveal that NSAS participation significantly improves children's dietary diversity, with participants achieving a mean score of 5.33 compared to 3.99 for non-participants. Anthropometric indicators also suggest that NSAS engagement contributes to reducing child malnutrition, with participants showing improved height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ), and weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) compared to non-participants. Specifically, HAZ for participants was -1.57, compared to -1.98 for non-participants, with significant improvements in WHZ and WAZ as well. Moreover, NSAS households exhibit higher education levels and income, which correlate with improved nutritional knowledge, decision-making, and economic resilience. The results underscore the importance of integrating nutrition-sensitive approaches into climate adaptation strategies, particularly in food-insecure regions, and highlight the need for further research into the sustainability and scalability of such interventions. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Health sciences/Health care Climate variability child malnutrition Nutrition-sensitive interventions Semi-arid Nigeria Food security Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 12 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 08 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 06 Dec, 2025 Editor invited by journal 11 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 08 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7982541","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":557562694,"identity":"8a0c1dbd-9154-4034-90e3-0c8051da3238","order_by":0,"name":"Abdulrazaq K. 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