背景：尽管经济增长和发展，以及旨在改善粮食安全和营养的各种政策和干预措施的存在，撒哈拉以南非洲大多数国家的儿童营养不良程度非常高。发育迟缓的患病率，慢性营养不良的指标，特别高。
方法：在本文中，我们使用来自该地区三个国家的人口和健康调查数据集，这些国家在过去十年中获得了中等收入地位(加纳，肯尼亚和赞比亚)，提供发育迟缓水平的比较定量评估，并检查2007年至2014年之间发育迟缓不平等的模式。
结果：我们的分析表明，在研究期间，所有三个国家的发育迟缓率都有所下降，但仍然很高。在赞比亚，40%的5岁以下儿童发育迟缓,肯尼亚为26%，加纳为19%。在这三个国家，男性儿童和生活在最贫困家庭的儿童发育迟缓的程度明显更高。我们还观察到社会经济地位之间的明显不平等，并表明这些不平等随着时间的推移而增加。
结论：我们的结果表明，即使在国家一级取得了经济收益，需要继续关注提高最贫困家庭的社会经济水平，如果儿童营养结果得到改善。
BACKGROUND: Despite increased economic growth and development, and existence of various policies and interventions aimed at improving food security and nutrition, majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa have very high levels of child malnutrition. The prevalence of stunting, an indicator of chronic malnutrition, is especially high.
METHODS: In this paper, we use Demographic and Health Survey datasets from three countries in the region that obtained middle-income status over the last decade (Ghana, Kenya and Zambia), to provide a comparative quantitative assessment of stunting levels, and examine patterns in stunting inequalities between 2007 and 2014.
RESULTS: Our analyses reveal that stunting rates decreased in all three countries over the study period, but are still high. In Zambia, 40% of under 5-year olds are stunted, compared to 26% in Kenya and 19% in Ghana. In all three countries, male children and those living in the poorest households have significantly higher levels of stunting. We also observe stark inequalities across socio-economic status, and show that these inequalities have increased over time.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that even with economic gains at the national level, there is need for continued focus on improving the socio-economic levels of the poorest households, if child nutritional outcomes are to improve.
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