The nutrition transition and indicators of child malnutrition

Kimenju, Simon Chege; Qaim, Matin

doi:10.1007/s12571-016-0566-x

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…To gain a broader understanding, we compiled country-level panel data from a large number of developing countries and ran additional cross-country regressions. This cross-country analysis suggests that the share of supermarkets in national food retailing is negatively associated with both child underweight and child stunting (58) , which supports the micro-level evidence from Kenya.…”

Section: Proceedings Of the Nutrition Societysupporting

confidence: 75%

Globalisation of agrifood systems and sustainable nutrition

2016

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The globalisation of agrifood systems is a mega-trend with potentially profound nutritional implications. This paper describes various facets of this globalisation process and reviews studies on nutritional effects with a particular focus on developing countries. Results show that global trade and technological change in agriculture have substantially improved food security in recent decades, although intensified production systems have also contributed to environmental problems in some regions. New agricultural technologies and policies need to place more emphasis on promoting dietary diversity and reducing environmental externalities. Globalising agrifood systems also involve changing supply-chain structures, with a rapid rise of modern retailing, new food safety and food quality standards, and higher levels of vertical integration. Studies show that emerging high-value supply chains can contribute to income growth in the small farm sector and improved access to food for rural and urban populations. However, there is also evidence that the retail revolution in developing countries, with its growing role of supermarkets and processed foods, can contribute to overweight and obesity among consumers. The multi-faceted linkages between changing agrifood systems and nutrition are a new field of interdisciplinary research, combining agricultural, nutritional, economics and social sciences perspectives. The number of studies on specific aspects is still limited, so the evidence is not yet conclusive. A review at this early stage can help to better understand important relationships and encourage follow-up work.Agriculture: Food systems: Small farms: Triple burden of malnutrition

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Section: Proceedings Of the Nutrition Societysupporting

confidence: 75%

Globalisation of agrifood systems and sustainable nutrition

2016

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“…Compared to traditional food markets in developing countries, supermarket supply chains are often more efficient, which can make food more accessible for poor population segments [ 21 , 25 , 32 ]. Recent studies showed that supermarkets can contribute to reduced rates of child undernutrition in some situations [ 32 , 62 ]. Food quality, food diversity, and food safety may also be higher in supermarkets than in traditional markets [ 30 , 35 , 63 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supermarket purchase contributes to nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in urban Kenya

et al. 2017

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BackgroundWhile undernutrition and related infectious diseases are still pervasive in many developing countries, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD), typically associated with high body mass index (BMI), is rapidly rising. The fast spread of supermarkets and related shifts in diets were identified as possible factors contributing to overweight and obesity in developing countries. Potential effects of supermarkets on people’s health have not been analyzed up till now.ObjectiveThis study investigates the effects of purchasing food in supermarkets on people’s BMI, as well as on health indicators such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood pressure (BP), and the metabolic syndrome.DesignThis study uses cross-section observational data from urban Kenya. Demographic, anthropometric, and bio-medical data were collected from 550 randomly selected adults. Purchasing food in supermarkets is defined as a binary variable that takes a value of one if any food was purchased in supermarkets during the last 30 days. In a robustness check, the share of food purchased in supermarkets is defined as a continuous variable. Instrumental variable regressions are applied to control for confounding factors and establish causality.ResultsPurchasing food in supermarkets contributes to higher BMI (+ 1.8 kg/m2) (P<0.01) and an increased probability (+ 20 percentage points) of being overweight or obese (P<0.01). Purchasing food in supermarkets also contributes to higher levels of FBG (+ 0.3 mmol/L) (P<0.01) and a higher likelihood (+ 16 percentage points) of suffering from pre-diabetes (P<0.01) and the metabolic syndrome (+ 7 percentage points) (P<0.01). Effects on BP could not be observed.ConclusionsSupermarkets and their food sales strategies seem to have direct effects on people’s health. In addition to increasing overweight and obesity, supermarkets contribute to nutrition-related NCDs. Effects of supermarkets on nutrition and health can mainly be ascribed to changes in the composition of people’s food choices.

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“…Nineteen of the reviewed studies (21%) analysed data from multiple countries. The studies with the most extensive geographic scope covered 166 countries (Smith and Haddad 2015), 63 countries (Smith and Haddad 2001), and 41 countries (Kimenju and Qaim 2016). The analysis in each of these studies was conducted at the country level.…”

Section: Geographical Coveragementioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical studies of factors associated with child malnutrition: highlighting the evidence about climate and conflict shocks

et al. 2020

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Children who experience poor nutrition during the first 1000 days of life are more vulnerable to illness and death in the near term, as well as to lower work capacity and productivity as adults. These problems motivate research to identify basic and underlying factors that influence risks of child malnutrition. Based on a structured search of existing literature, we identified 90 studies that used statistical analyses to assess relationships between potential factors and major indicators of child malnutrition: stunting, wasting, and underweight. Our review determined that wasting, a measure of acute malnutrition, is substantially understudied compared to the other indicators. We summarize the evidence about relationships between child malnutrition and numerous factors at the individual, household, region/community, and country levels. Our results identify only select relationships that are statistically significant, with consistent signs, across multiple studies. Among the consistent predictors of child malnutrition are shocks due to variations in climate conditions (as measured with indicators of temperature, rainfall, and vegetation) and violent conflict. Limited research has been conducted on the relationship between violent conflict and wasting. Improved understanding of the variables associated with child malnutrition will aid advances in predictive modeling of the risks and severity of malnutrition crises and enhance the effectiveness of responses by the development and humanitarian communities.

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The nutrition transition and indicators of child malnutrition

Cited by 17 publications

References 46 publications

Globalisation of agrifood systems and sustainable nutrition

Globalisation of agrifood systems and sustainable nutrition

Supermarket purchase contributes to nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in urban Kenya

Empirical studies of factors associated with child malnutrition: highlighting the evidence about climate and conflict shocks

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