Commentary: Economic crisis or structural adjustment—which is worse for child health in African countries?

Macroeconomic crises impact on health particularly in children living in developing countries. Yet there have been few empirical studies that examine the mechanisms through which macro-level economic crises worsen childhood health. Pongou Salomon and Ezzati writing in this issue of the IJE consider this: in Health impacts of macroeconomic crises and policies: determinants of variation in childhood malnutrition trends in Cameroon they examine evidence of the adverse effects of economic crises and adjustment programmes of the 1990s in Cameroon on nutrition. This is a good and welcome contribution to international literature in this area. Their study clearly shows that children from low socioeconomic status groups suffered more in relation to nutritional status as a result of the economic crises and structure adjustment programmes and that the decline in household economic status and access to healthcare were both mediators of increasing malnutrition. (excerpt)