Using Food Security to Predict Childhood Stunting: Results from an Eight-Country Study

Stephanie R. Psaki, Fogarty International Center, NIH

Childhood stunting results from chronic malnutrition and enteric infections, and contributes to morbidity and mortality. This paper draws on data collected through the eight-country MAL-ED Network, investigating the relationships between malnutrition, diarrhea, and child growth and development. We administered a socioeconomic survey in 800 households, including a recently validated nine-item food security questionnaire, and obtained anthropometric measurements for one child aged 24-59 months in each household. A ten point increase in the household food security score (ranging from 9 to 36) was associated with a 0.15 increase in the height-for-age Z score (95% CI: 0.02-0.27), controlling for mother’s education and water source. We did not find an association between weight-for-height and food security score, suggesting that it is marker of chronic rather than acute malnutrition. Earlier identification of risk factors for stunting, such as food insecurity, can inform a targeted approach to the prevention of childhood morbidity and mortality in high-risk settings.