HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa

Abstract

HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition are pervasive in eastern and southern Africa. This paper employs crosscountry panel data on 20 countries from 1991 to 2017 to explore the macro-level relationship between HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition. Using instrumental variables (IV) regression, we find that HIV/ AIDS is a robust predictor of long-term and chronic malnutrition. Conditional on various controls, the results demonstrate a positive empirical association between HIV/AIDS and stunting. Moreover, increased access to improved water, female education, and food availability are critical for reducing stunting. These findings underscore the need for an integrated national policy on nutrition and HIV/AIDS and intersectoral collaboration between government agencies responsible for managing nutrition and HIV/AIDS programs. How to cite this article: Adika, G. HIV/AIDS and child malnutrition in eastern and southern Africa.

The nutritional well-being of children under five with HIV-positive parents at Bikurungu Health Center III in Rukungiri District

“…Thus, high HIV/AIDS prevalence and better nutritional outcomes can coexist under better socioeconomic conditions. While this scenario does not suggest that higher HIV/AIDS prevalence is causally associated with better nutritional outcomes, it reinforces the need to control for the underlying socioeconomic conditions in examining the association between HIV/AIDS prevalence and nutritional outcomes [35]. In Uganda, the UNICEF country report on the status of children reported that HIV/AIDS is one of the predominant common factors among parents of malnourished children [36].…”

Do social protection cash transfers reduce poverty in Rwanda? Evidence from an econometric analysis of Vision Umurenge Program Direct Support

“…National governments, development agencies and non‐governmental organizations are also committed to reducing, and ultimately eradicating, poverty in all its forms and dimensions (United Nations, 2017). According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (2015), this global commitment ensures healthy lives and promotes well‐being for all (Adika, 2021).…”