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Paradoxical malnutrition in mother-child pairs: Untangling the phenomenon of over- and under-nutrition in underdeveloped economies

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  • Jehn, Megan
  • Brewis, Alexandra

Abstract

As economic development and urbanization proceed globally, the coexistence of under- and over-nutrition within the same household, sometimes termed [`]paradoxical' or [`]dual burden' malnutrition is increasingly being reported. We used Demographic and Health Survey data sets from 18 lower and middle income countries to explore paradoxical forms of malnutrition (maternal overweight with child underweight or stunting) in mother-child pairs. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of discordant pairs after adjusting for a number of important covariates. Several factors were significantly associated with an increased relative odds of discordant mother-child pairs, including working in subsistence agriculture, low levels of maternal education, more siblings in the household, and relative household poverty. However, many of these factors also predicted other combinations of poor nutritional status in mother-child pairs. We conclude that it is difficult to identify any specific factors that elevate risk above and beyond those that predict risk of maternal over-nutrition or child under-nutrition. Based on these analyses, it appears that paradoxical weight status between mothers and children can be best understood as a consequence of rapid secular increases in maternal weight, rather than a distinct nutritional condition with a discrete etiology.

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  • Jehn, Megan & Brewis, Alexandra, 2009. "Paradoxical malnutrition in mother-child pairs: Untangling the phenomenon of over- and under-nutrition in underdeveloped economies," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 28-35, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:7:y:2009:i:1:p:28-35
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    2. Lee, Jounghee & Houser, Robert F. & Must, Aviva & de Fulladolsa, Patricia Palma & Bermudez, Odilia I., 2010. "Disentangling nutritional factors and household characteristics related to child stunting and maternal overweight in Guatemala," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 188-196, July.
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    7. Fooken, Jonas & Vo, Linh K., 2022. "Are stunted child – overweight mother pairs a real defined entity or a statistical artifact?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    8. Théophile T Azomahou & Bity Diene & Adrien Gosselin-Pali, 2021. "Transition and persistence in the double burden of malnutrition and obesity : Evidence from South Africa," Working Papers hal-03338304, HAL.
    9. Perpetua Modjadji & Lucy Nomsa Masilela & Lindiwe Cele & Mmampedi Mathibe & Peter Modupi Mphekgwana, 2022. "Evidence of Concurrent Stunting and Obesity among Children under 2 Years from Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds in the Era of the Integrated Nutrition Programme in South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, September.
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    11. Patel, Ratna & Srivastava, Shobhit & Kumar, Pradeep & Chauhan, Shekhar, 2020. "Factors associated with double burden of malnutrition among mother-child pairs in India: A study based on National Family Health Survey 2015–16," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    12. Ilana G. Raskind & Shailaja S. Patil & Regine Haardörfer & Solveig A. Cunningham, 2018. "Unhealthy Weight in Indian Families: The Role of the Family Environment in the Context of the Nutrition Transition," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(2), pages 157-180, April.
    13. Azomahou, Théophile T. & Diene, Bity & Gosselin-Pali, Adrien, 2022. "Transition and persistence in the double burden of malnutrition and overweight or obesity: Evidence from South Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    14. Roemling, Cornelia & Qaim, Matin, 2012. "Dual Burden Households and Nutritional Inequality in Indonesia," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 126943, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    15. Khalid Abu-Ismail & Verena Gantner & Paul Makdissi & Myra Yazbeck, 2020. "Socioeconomic inequalities in child malnutrition in Egypt," METRON, Springer;Sapienza Università di Roma, vol. 78(2), pages 175-191, August.
    16. Hackman, Joseph & Maupin, Jonathan & Brewis, Alexandra A., 2016. "Weight-related stigma is a significant psychosocial stressor in developing countries: Evidence from Guatemala," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 55-60.
    17. Zeljko, Hrvojka Marija & Škarić-Jurić, Tatjana & Narančić, Nina Smolej & Barešić, Ana & Tomas, Željka & Petranović, Matea Zajc & Miličić, Jasna & Salihović, Marijana Peričić & Janićijević, Branka, 2013. "Age trends in prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in Roma minority population of Croatia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 326-336.
    18. Asibul Islam Anik & Md Mosfequr Rahman & Md Mostafizur Rahman & Md Ismail Tareque & Md Nuruzzaman Khan & M Mahmudul Alam, 2019. "Double burden of malnutrition at household level: A comparative study among Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Myanmar," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-16, August.
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    20. Ghosh, sudeshna, 2017. "Globalization and Obesity: Asian Experiences of ‘Globesity’," MPRA Paper 94601, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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