International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Management of Integrated Nutrition Education and Malnutrition Among Children Aged 3–6 Years in Pre-Primary Schools in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Author(s) Mr. Moses Kyangwa, Musa Matovu
Country Uganda
Abstract Abstract
Background: Malnutrition among children aged 3–6 years remains a major public health and educational challenge across Sub-Saharan Africa despite numerous nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. During the pre-primary years, adequate nutrition is fundamental for cognitive development, school readiness, learning participation, and lifelong human capital development. Increasingly, Integrated Nutrition Education (INE) has emerged as a comprehensive school-based approach that combines nutrition education, caregiver engagement, school feeding, teacher capacity building, school gardening, and multisectoral collaboration. However, evidence regarding how the management of these interventions influences child nutrition outcomes remains fragmented.
Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize available evidence on the influence of the management of Integrated Nutrition Education interventions on malnutrition among children aged 3–6 years attending pre-primary schools in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: The review was designed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) framework. The review adopted a PICO approach to define the study population, interventions, comparisons, and outcomes. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, implementation research, mixed-methods studies, qualitative investigations, and programme evaluations conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa. Electronic databases included PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and institutional repositories. Data extraction, quality appraisal, and evidence synthesis followed standardized systematic review procedures.
Results: The evidence consistently demonstrates that Integrated Nutrition Education improves nutrition knowledge, dietary diversity, caregiver practices, child feeding behaviours, and early childhood development outcomes. Programmes characterized by effective planning, coordination, supervision, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring systems reported greater implementation success and sustainability. However, improvements in anthropometric outcomes such as stunting, wasting, and underweight remained inconsistent across studies, largely due to contextual socioeconomic constraints, implementation fidelity, and programme quality.
Conclusion: Integrated Nutrition Education constitutes an effective educational management strategy for promoting child nutrition and early childhood development when implemented through strong governance, multisectoral coordination, teacher capacity development, and community participation. The review demonstrates that programme management is a critical determinant of intervention effectiveness, suggesting that strengthening educational management systems should become a central component of nutrition interventions implemented within pre-primary education.
Keywords Keywords: Integrated Nutrition Education; Educational Management; Malnutrition; Pre-primary Education; Early Childhood Development; School Health; Nutrition Education; Systematic Review; Meta-analysis; Sub-Saharan Africa
Field Sociology > Education
Published In Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On 2026-07-28
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.84506
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