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Explaining Child Malnutrition In Developing Countries: A Cross-Country Analysis
| Citations: | 184 - 5 self |
BibTeX
@MISC{Smith_explainingchild,
author = {Lisa C. Smith and Lawrence Haddad},
title = {Explaining Child Malnutrition In Developing Countries: A Cross-Country Analysis},
year = {}
}
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Abstract
This paper draws on the experience of the 1970-95 period to (1) elucidate some of the main causes of child malnutrition in developing countries; (2) undertake projections of how many children are likely to be malnourished in the year 2020 given current trends; and (3) identify priority actions for reducing malnutrition the most quickly in the coming decades. The analysis is based on country fixed-effects multivariate regression using data from 63 countries. The paper finds four "underlying" determinants to be key factors: health environments, women's education, women's relative status, and per capita food availability. Two "basic" determinants are also found to be important: per capita national incomes and democracy. Due to data scarcities, the role of poverty could not be assessed. Improvements in women's education was found to have contributed the most to past reductions in child malnutrition. For Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia---the regions with the highest child malnutrition rat...
Keyphrases
child malnutrition cross-country analysis key factor identify priority action caput national income health environment caput food availability child malnutrition rat basic determinant main cause undertake projection sub-saharan africa many child current trend south asia 1970-95 period country fixed-effects
