ABSTRACT DIGEST ON MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION RESEARCH – ISSUE 22

Click here to download the PDF

In this issue of Abstract Digest, we have brought together a collection of articles and systematic reviews on multiple aspects of nutrition including stunting, micronutrient supplementation, adolescent nutrition, and policy analysis. Here are some of the highlights: 

• Bhatia and colleagues (2018) examined the trend in inequalities in infant mortality rate (IMR) in Indian states over 1992-2016 timeframe using four rounds of the National Family Health Survey data and found a huge variability in IMR and in relative inequalities among states and how the variability changed over time.

Three studies highlighted the significance of gender, education & poverty in children’s well-being:

• Menon and colleagues (2018) emphasized that variability in stunting across India reinforces the multifactorial determinants of stunting and addressing women’s well-being and education are critical to any strategy focused on reducing child stunting in India, as nearly three-fourth of the differences in childhood stunting between low and high burden Indian districts can be explained by differences in women’s low body mass index and education.
• Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data from 49 low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), Ekbrand and Halleröd (2018) confirmed that gender equity is an important determinant of child deprivation and therefore strengthening of women’s position is critical to children’s welfare.  
• Harding and colleagues (2018) found that adult women’s education is associated with lower anemia and vitamin A deficiency among children, lower anemia among non-pregnant women, and lower zinc deficiency in the general population.

Two studies highlighted the importance of the role of micronutrients:

• Ramírez-Luzuriaga and colleagues (2018) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis from randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of double-fortified salt (DFS) on biomarkers of iron status, and the risk of anemia and iron-deficiency anemia and found that DFS is efficacious in increasing hemoglobin concentrations and reducing the risk of anemia and iron deficiency anemia in populations of LMICs.
• Garrett and Bailey (2018) reviewed the evidence basis for prevention of folic acid–sensitive neural tube defects (NTDs) and concluded that folic acid fortification is an evidence-based intervention that reduces the prevalence of NTDs, and that large-scale food fortification with folic acid is underutilized.

• van der Haar and colleagues (2018) presented a new statistical approach of apportioning the population urinary iodine concentration (UIC) from spot urine collections, which may be useful for future monitoring of change in iodine nutrition from reduced salt use in processed foods and in households.

• Chakrabarti and colleagues (2018) examined factors associated with anemia reduction using a synthetic panel data set created from two rounds of the District Level Household and Facility Survey (2002–04 and 2012–13) and Household Consumer Expenditures Survey (2004–05 and 2011–12) and found that non-dietary factors such as age at pregnancy, village-level open defecation, and urbanization were important for anemia reduction as were the dietary factors including consumption of IFA, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to address anemia.

• Wendt and colleagues (2018) showed that multiple factors are contributing to insufficient or inconsistent supply of iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements in Bihar, India, including issues with forecasting, inadequate inventory documentation, later supply deliveries, and lack of proper storage facilities.

• Chaturvedi and colleagues (2018) found that child feeding practices, participation in ICDS activities, and adequate supply were associated with the consumption of micronutrient fortified blended food among 6–35 months old children, which is provided through the Integrated Child Development Services program in Gujarat, India.

• Graziose and colleagues (2018) conducted a systematic review of the design, implementation and effectiveness of mass media and nutrition education interventions for infant and young child feeding in low- and middle-income countries and found that there are few common elements in the design of interventions and highlighted the need for consistent reporting of details of intervention to ensure replicability.

• Examining the association between growth outcomes and modified versions of WHO’s core indicators for infant and young child feeding including minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet (MAD), Do and colleagues (2018) found that children of 36 months age who met the modified MAD had better weight-for-height compared to those who did not.  

• Taneja and colleagues (2018) demonstrated that in low-resource settings where height measurement is not feasible, mid-upper arm circumference can be a valid screening tool for identifying severely malnourished children.

Focusing specifically on adolescent undernutrition:

• Christian and Smith (2018) analyzed the global burden of adolescent nutrition, and highlighted the need for research to fill the huge data gaps related to nutrition and growth during adolescence and for testing interventions to enhance growth and development.
• Madjdian and colleagues (2018) conducted a systematic narrative review of socio-cultural and economic determinants and consequences associated with adolescent undernutrition in LMICs, which highlighted the importance of the broad range of context-specific factors at several levels that influence adolescent nutritional status. 
• Radhika and colleagues (2018) examined the dietary and nondietary determinants of nutritional status among adolescent girls and adult women in India and emphasized the need for multipronged strategies along with dietary interventions.

Examining the agriculture and nutrition linkages:

• Thow and colleagues (2018) conducted a qualitative analysis of the policies in India and identified development of Public-Private Partnerships, linking of health and economic/agricultural policy agendas and strengthening surveillance of policy impacts on consumer access to fruit and vegetables, as the key strategies for improving food environment for fruit and vegetables in India.
• In their systematic review Sibhatu and Qaim (2018) found little evidence to support the assumption that increasing farm production diversity is effective in improving smallholder farmer household diets
• International Food Policy Research Institute’s 2018 Global food policy report  highlighted the role of global food systems and trade in improving food security, nutrition, and sustainability in developing countries.

Enjoy reading!