Secular Growth Trends in Early Childhood—Evidence from Two Low-Income Birth Cohorts Recruited over a Decade in Vellore, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Stunting and extreme poverty are considered significant risk factors impacting child development in low-and-middle-income countries. We used two birth cohorts recruited 8–9 years apart in urban low-income (slum) settings in Vellore, south India and analyzed secular growth trends and their predictors. In the rotavirus cohort recruited between 2002 and 2003, 373 children completed the 3-year follow-up. “The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development” (MAL-ED) cohort recruited between 2010 and 2012 had 215 children completing follow-up. The MAL-ED cohort had better socio-economic status (SES) markers and mothers were better educated compared with the previous cohort. Children in the MAL-ED cohort had less stunting at 1, 2, and 3 years of age. The linear mixed effects model evaluating linear growth during the first 3 years of age showed that low birth weight and being a female child were associated with stunting in both cohorts. There was no association between SES and stunting in the rotavirus cohort, whereas SES was associated with linear growth in the MAL-ED cohort. Future studies could incorporate nutritional and nonnutritional interventions in vulnerable populations to evaluate their effect on birth weight as well as early childhood stunting.

Prevalence and factors contributing to stunted growth in young children of Khordha district, Odisha: A cross-sectional study

“…[ 4 ] Stunted children have been found to have behavior changes in early childhood, such as insensitivity, poor coping skills, and low emotional intelligence. [ 5 6 7 ] Children hospitalized for severe malnutrition in early childhood have been reported to have problems with fewer social relationships at school age, aggressive behavior, and attention deficits. [ 8 ] Undernutrition (stunting) in children was one of the causes of the excessive rate (3.94% in 2015) of infant mortality in developing countries.…”