Economic growth no cure for child undernutrition
A large study of child growth patterns in 36 developing countries finds that, contrary to widely held beliefs, economic growth has little to no effect on the nutritional status of the world’s poorest children. The study, from researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the University of Göttingen in Germany, ETH Zürich, and the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar in Gujarat, India, found that economic growth was associated with small or no declines in stunting, underweight, and wasting — all signs of undernutrition. “These findings represent a potentially major shift in how we think about policies to reduce child undernutrition,” said S.V. Subramanian, senior author and professor of population health and geography at HSPH. “They emphasize that focusing on improving economic growth does not necessarily translate to child health gains.” “Our study does not imply that economic development is not important in a general sense, but cautions policymakers about relying solely...