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Prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting among young children with a significant cognitive delay in 47 low‐income and middle‐income countries
Author(s) -
Emerson E.,
Savage A.,
Llewellyn G.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/jir.12698
Subject(s) - wasting , underweight , malnutrition , medicine , cognition , environmental health , cognitive skill , pediatrics , demography , body mass index , psychiatry , pathology , sociology , overweight , endocrinology
Background Undernutrition in early childhood is associated with a range of negative outcomes across the lifespan. Little is known about the prevalence of exposure to undernutrition among young children with significant cognitive delay. Method Secondary analysis of data collected on 161 188 three‐ and four‐year‐old children in 47 low‐income and middle‐income countries in Rounds 4–6 of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Of these, 12.3% (95% confidence interval 11.8–12.8%) showed evidence of significant cognitive delay. Results In both middle‐income and low‐income countries, significant cognitive delay was associated with an increased prevalence of exposure to three indicators of undernutrition (underweight, wasting and stunting). Overall, children with significant cognitive delay were more than twice as likely than their peers to be exposed to severe underweight, severe wasting and severe stunting. Among children with significant cognitive delay (and after controlling for country economic classification group), relative household wealth was the strongest and most consistent predictor of exposure to undernutrition. Conclusions Given that undernutrition in early childhood is associated with a range of negative outcomes in later life, it is possible that undernutrition in early childhood may play an important role in accounting for health inequalities and inequities experienced by people with significant cognitive delay in low‐income and middle‐income countries.