Literature review on linkages between child nutrition and economic growth

Literature review on linkages between child nutrition and economic growth
Author: Haile, Beliyou
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 33
Release: 2021-11-24
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This document summarizes published and grey literature on conceptual framework on the link between child nutrition and economic growth, determinants of child undernutrition, types of investments to enhance maternal and child nutrition, and linkages between urbanization and child nutrition. Several in-sights emerge from the review. First, and despite progresses over the last several decades, maternal and child malnutrition is still prevalent in developing countries and the progress has been uneven. While the percentage of chronically malnourished (stunted) children declined across the developing world, the number of stunted children in Africa increased due to slower reduction in stunting prevalence and population growth. Many developing countries are experiencing the coexistence of different forms of malnutrition including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and overnutrition. Second, child undernutrition, especially stunting during the first 1,000 days of life, has several short- and long-term effects on individuals and economies that include impaired cognitive and non-cognitive development, poor educational performance, low productivity and earnings, and higher healthcare costs. Third, the determinants of child undernutrition are broadly classified as the immediate determinants including dietary intake and diseases; the underlying determinants that include household food security, quality of care and household living environment, and access to healthcare; and the basic determinants that include access to productive resources, stock of capital, as well as socioeconomic, political and cultural factors. Investments to enhance child nutrition can target either the immediate determinants (known as nutrition-specific investments) or the underlying determinants (known as nutrition-sensitive investments). Fourth, the effect of urbanization on child nutrition is mostly determined by the extent to which urban settlements offer their residents with better economic opportunities (e.g., better paying jobs and markets for nutritious food) and services (e.g., healthier living environments). Fifth, given the multilayer causes of child undernutrition, a multi-sectoral approach is needed to address the various determinants of undernutrition to improve maternal nutrition, promote optimal infant and young child feeding practices, enhance household food security, as well as improve healthy living environment and access to quality health care.

Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author: Dean T. Jamison
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0821363980

Current data and trends in morbidity and mortality for the sub-Saharan Region as presented in this new edition reflect the heavy toll that HIV/AIDS has had on health indicators, leading to either a stalling or reversal of the gains made, not just for communicable disorders, but for cancers, as well as mental and neurological disorders.

Undernutrition in India

Undernutrition in India
Author: Aparajita Chattopadhyay
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2023-02-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9811981825

This book deals with issues related to undernutrition and anaemia in India. It establishes its interconnectedness with poverty, tribal living conditions, contraception usage, dietary diversity, and socioeconomic inequality. It addresses SDG 2, namely “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” It puts forth the linkages between mother's economic empowerment and children's nutritional status, anaemia of women with particular reference to tribal women, and the issues associated with anaemia in India. It also delves into the relationship between contraceptive usage and anaemia level. It explores the proximate and intermediate determinants of undernutrition disaggregated at the state level in India. It elaborates the importance of ensuring food security and suggests policy measures to improve maternal and child health. The book is an asset for all researchers, academicians, clinicians and policy makers dealing with sociology, economics, public policy, social work, population study, gender issues, biostatistics, health, development, and nutrition.

Extreme weather and undernutrition: A critical but constructive review of the literature

Extreme weather and undernutrition: A critical but constructive review of the literature
Author: Headey, Derek
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2024-02-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Climate change is resulting in increased frequency of extreme weather events, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) already characterized by highly vulnerable malnourished populations. Unsurprisingly, there are many empirical studies of the linkages between extreme weather events and undernutrition, especially stunting and wasting in early childhood, and several existing reviews of this literature. However, the quality of empirical studies in this highly multi-disciplinary literature is uneven, and existing reviews do exhaustively illustrate the potential pitfalls of climate-nutrition analyses. In this more critical review, we therefore have five objectives. First, to map out the existing literature, particularly in terms of the types of dependent and independent variables used, the geographies in which different studies focus their analysis, and the types of statistical methods used. Our second objective is to illustrate the empirical limitations and pitfalls of this literature through a more critical review. Our third objective is to be critically constructive, by developing a checklist of good practices for analytical studies in this literature, which we hope will be formalized and broadly adopted. Our fourth objective is to illustrate the usefulness of these good practices through a deep dive into what we consider an exemplary study in the literature from Blom et al. (2022). Our final objective is to identify possible steps for new types of survey methods and data collection, actions for the adoption of best-practice analytical methods and identify important research questions for future research.

Nutrition and an Active Life

Nutrition and an Active Life
Author: Wilma Freire
Publisher: Pan American Health Org
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2005
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9275116121

This publication contains thirteen papers written by leading international public health professionals on a range of topics including the role of research into early childhood nutrition and the formulation of infant feeding policies; the control of iodine and vitamin A deficiencies; folic acid fortification of wheat flour; breast-feeding practices; nutrition recommendations within the context of local urban market realities; promoting active lifestyles and health urban spaces; and the importance of urban planning and public transport to public health objectives.

Synopsis, Nutrition and economic development

Synopsis, Nutrition and economic development
Author: Ecker, Olivier
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 4
Release: 2016-11-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0896292401

Egypt faces two nutritional challenges. The first is the “growth-nutrition disconnect.” High economic growth has not been accompanied by reduction in chronic child malnutrition, at least throughout the 2000s. Instead, the prevalence of child stunting increased during this decade—an atypical trend for a country outside wartime. The second challenge is the simultaneous presence of chronic undernutrition and overnutrition (due to excess consumption of calories). This “double burden of malnutrition” exists not only at the national level but also within families and even individual children. Both challenges are exceptionally pronounced in Egypt compared to other developing countries. Nutrition and Economic Development: Exploring Egypt’s Exceptionalism and the Role of Food Subsidies examines the two nutritional challenges in depth and their relationship to public policy.

A review of studies examining the link between food insecurity and malnutrition

A review of studies examining the link between food insecurity and malnutrition
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 73
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9251309426

A review of 120 studies published since 2006 was undertaken to examine the relationship between food insecurity at the household or individual level and the following nutrition indicators: child stunting, child wasting, low birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding of infants < 6 months of age, anaemia in women of reproductive age, child overweight and adult obesity. While there is some evidence of a direct association between food insecurity and stunting for children in lower-middle and upper-middle income countries, evidence of links between food insecurity and either child wasting or overweight is almost absent, with the exception of an association with overweight among girls in middle- and high-income countries. The obesity–food insecurity link is most predominant among women in high-income countries, while it is almost absent in men. In addition, food insecurity increases the risk for low birth weight in infants and anaemia in women. Methodological concerns that pose challenges for valid comparison of results relate to study design, data analysis techniques, use of different indicators of household/individual food security and malnutrition, and the limited availability of high-quality micro-level data from large-scale surveys. Most studies report correlation rather than causal associations between food insecurity and nutrition indicators; longitudinal micro-level data from large-scale surveys can help establish causal association and capture the dynamic nature of food insecurity. Food insecurity emerges as a predictor of undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity, highlighting the need for multisectoral strategies and policies to combat food insecurity and multiple forms of malnutrition.

A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty

A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 619
Release: 2019-09-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309483980

The strengths and abilities children develop from infancy through adolescence are crucial for their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth, which in turn help them to achieve success in school and to become responsible, economically self-sufficient, and healthy adults. Capable, responsible, and healthy adults are clearly the foundation of a well-functioning and prosperous society, yet America's future is not as secure as it could be because millions of American children live in families with incomes below the poverty line. A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate economic resources for families with children compromises these children's ability to grow and achieve adult success, hurting them and the broader society. A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty reviews the research on linkages between child poverty and child well-being, and analyzes the poverty-reducing effects of major assistance programs directed at children and families. This report also provides policy and program recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years.

Food Security and Child Malnutrition

Food Security and Child Malnutrition
Author: Areej Hassan
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2016-12-08
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1315341530

Food security and child malnutrition are at the forefront of our attention, both nationally and internationally. The chapters contained in this compendium include a range of methodologies—literature review, cross-sectional study, longitudinal study, case-control, and even a focus group!—all of which examine this urgent issue, revealing new perspectives and facets of information. The international roster of contributors present a nuanced look at food security and child malnutrition with research into food security measures in many nations around the world. The book is broken into several parts, covering defining food security food security, nutrition, and growth and development food security and mental and physical health food security and child obesity conclusion, with an information study from The Children's Healthwatch on household hardships, public programs, and their associations with the health and development of very young children The range of topics and information presented here will be valuable for those involved with food security advocacy, policymakers, researchers, social service professionals working children and families, and others.

The Spirit Level

The Spirit Level
Author: Richard Wilkinson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2011-05-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1608193411

It is common knowledge that, in rich societies, the poor have worse health and suffer more from almost every social problem. This book explains why inequality is the most serious problem societies face today.