Background:

Twins constitute a vulnerable subpopulation among children under 5 years of age. In sub-Saharan Africa, it has been found that multiple births tend to be undernourished and the risks of acute malnutrition and stunting are high.

Objective:

Examining the relationship between acute malnutrition and twins in rural areas Methods: This is a cohort study. 199 villages in the province of Sanmentenga, Burkina Faso. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between acute malnutrition and twin status at birth after adjusting for wealth index, presence of latrines, main water source, fever, and presence of diarrhoea. The statistical threshold for significance was P < 0.05 and all analysis were performed using STATA version 14.0.

Results:

A total of 708 children were included in the study, including 236 children born twins and 472 children born twins.non-twins.Children born to mothers younger than 18 years were more common among non-twins than among twins (5.6% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.001). Acute malnutrition was more common among twins than non-twins (42.1% versus 28.0%, p<0.001). Children with fever were more common among non-twins than among twins (10.2% versus 5.5%, p=0.04).After adjusting for the wealth index, the presence of latrines, the main source of water, the presence of fever and the presence of diarrhea, twins were 1.46 times more malnourished than single children (RR = 1.46 , 95% CI [1.17-1.81], p =0.001).

Conclusion:

Children receiving rural health and nutrition education, twins were likely to be malnourished before their second birthday compared to non-twins.’ Particular attention should be paid to twins to reduce the risk of acute malnutrition before their second birthday.