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Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Childhood Dual Burden of Malnutrition
Author(s) -
Tzioumis Emma,
Poole Charles,
Bentley Margaret,
Adair Linda
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.lb395
Subject(s) - demography , overweight , medicine , socioeconomic status , inequality , malnutrition , prevalence , environmental health , obesity , population , mathematics , mathematical analysis , pathology , sociology
Evidence from adults suggests overweight is shifting to lower income groups in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC), but has not been studied in children. Using Demographic and Health Surveys from 28 LMIC with repeated surveys from 1990‐2012, we estimated country‐level prevalence of stunting (ST) and overweight (OW) in children <5y, and the prevalence difference of ST and OW between lowest and highest quintiles of household wealth within each country‐year. To determine if the disparity between lower and higher wealth changed over time, we calculated the annualized difference in prevalence growth rate for ST and OW from first to final survey within each country. ST prevalence is greatest in the lowest wealth quintile, as indicated by positive prevalence difference for all country‐years (range: 0.9‐51.2). OW prevalence differences are mostly negative (range: ‐13.1‐3.3), indicating higher absolute prevalence of OW in the highest wealth quintile than the lowest in most, but not all countries. The annualized difference in ST prevalence growth rate between quintiles was positive for 50% of countries, meaning the ST rate increased more quickly for the lowest wealth quintile than the highest in 50% of countries but increased more quickly in the highest wealth quintile in the other 50%. The annualized difference in OW prevalence growth rate between quintiles was positive for 57% of countries, indicating that OW prevalence increased more quickly in the lowest wealth quintile than the highest in a majority of countries. Stunting remains the burden of the poorest children. Absolute overweight prevalence is still highest in the wealthiest children, but this is starting to shift to lower wealth groups.