Abstract

Research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) show a rapidly increasing trend in co-existence of hunger, micronutrients deficiency as well as overweight/obesity. The paper, vulnerability of urban poor women and children to the triple burden of malnutrition aims at exploring the situation of poor urban women and children in regard to the triple burden of malnutrition in SSA. 65 sources of information were retrieved for review. Many socio-economic and systemic factors appear to put poor urban women and children in SSA slums at a greater risk of the triple burden of malnutrition. The triple burden of malnutrition has devouring effects on the growth and development of women and children. Evidence suggests high prevalence of the existence and effects of the three tier complexity of malnutrition (hunger, micronutrients deficiency and over nutrition) among urban poor women and children in SSA.