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40/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 40 out of 100. Risk factors

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Concurrent diarrhea and wasting (DW) among children aged 6–24 months represents a critical public health threat in East Africa, exacerbating infection susceptibility, stunting, cognitive impairment, and mortality. Despite national Demographic and Health Surveys documenting high burdens, spatial clustering and geographic determinants of DW remain underexplored, limiting targeted interventions. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) analyzed recent DHS data from 11 East African countries (n = 1,402 clusters), with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) providing global benchmarks. DWM prevalence averaged 3% (range: 1–6%) with significant spatial clustering (Moran’s I = 0.145, Z = 38.07, p < 0.001); hotspots spanned Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar. OLS explained 23.3% of spatial variation (adj. R² = 0.233) but violated key assumptions, while GWR substantially improved fit (adj. R² = 0.37, AICc: 14820 vs. 16001), revealing spatially varying relationships: male sex increased risk in Kenya/Tanzania/Rwanda (coeff: +0.048 max); maternal illiteracy elevated DW in Uganda/Zambia (coeff: +0.098 max); unimproved water sources posed greatest threat in Ethiopia/Zimbabwe. This study reveals prevalence, spatial patterns, and key factors of DW across the region, identifying precise intervention zones across eight hotspot nations. Policymakers should prioritize Ethiopia/Zambia water chlorination, Uganda/Rwanda maternal literacy campaigns via community health workers, and Kenya/Tanzania gender-sensitive caregiver training for optimal DW reduction.

Key findings

DWM prevalence averaged 3% (range: 1–6%) with significant spatial clustering (Moran’s I = 0.145, Z = 38.07, p < 0.001); hotspots spanned Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar.
R² = 0.37, AICc: 14820 vs. 16001), revealing spatially varying relationships: male sex increased risk in Kenya/Tanzania/Rwanda (coeff: +0.048 max); maternal illiteracy elevated DW in Uganda/Zambia (coeff: +0.098 max); unimproved water sources posed greatest threat in Ethiopia/Zimbabwe.

Why it matters

This study is about diarrhea and wasting in young children in East Africa and does not address treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease. It reports no findings on Alzheimer's disease.

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Study details

Participants1,402
Effect size23.3%
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 40/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 40 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Scientific Reports)
Journal's citation record	3 / 4	Scientific Reports: journal h-index 463 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	3 / 4	1,402 participants
Effect reported	2 / 3	Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	— / 4	OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Tigabu Kidie holds only 2 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score
Institution's track record	0 / 3	University of Gondar: institution h-index 203 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41927884)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Points	38 / 96	Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 40 out of 100.
Total	40 / 100	—

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Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Melesse, A. W., Alehegn, M., & Kidie, T. (2026). Mapping spatial hotspots and location specific associated factor of diarrhea-wasting multimorbidity among children aged 6–24 months in East Africa: a geographically weighted regression analysis. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47166-6

Vancouver

Melesse AW, Alehegn M, Kidie T. Mapping spatial hotspots and location specific associated factor of diarrhea-wasting multimorbidity among children aged 6–24 months in East Africa: a geographically weighted regression analysis. Scientific Reports. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41598-026-47166-6. PMID: 41927884.

BibTeX

@article{melesse2026-41927884,
  author  = {Melesse, Alemakef Wagnew and Alehegn, Mahlet and Kidie, Tigabu},
  title   = {{Mapping spatial hotspots and location specific associated factor of diarrhea-wasting multimorbidity among children aged 6–24 months in East Africa: a geographically weighted regression analysis}},
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1038/s41598-026-47166-6},
  pmid    = {41927884},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47166-6}
}

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