POSHAN’S ABSTRACT DIGEST ON MATERNAL AND CHILD NUTRITION RESEARCH – ISSUE 6

Aaganwadi centre (Photographer Aishwarya Pillai)

As we wrap up 2013, we are pleased to release the sixth issue of our bi-monthly Abstract Digest on maternal and child nutrition, the last issue for this year. This issue features interesting publications examining nutrition from both a biological and political lens, in India and beyond.

An India-based study in The Lancet highlights regional differences in neonatal and under-five mortality; the study highlights how several districts are on track to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4 as early as 2015, while several others may not achieve it until 2023.

A BioMed Central Public Health study examines whether high parity is associated with lower coverage of key health interventions that might lead to increased mortality. The study identifies a significant relationship between coverage of maternal and child health services and birth order, offering a potential explanation for the association between higher parity and child mortality.

Using birth cohorts from 5 countries, a study from the Journal of Pediatrics examines the relationship between maternal height and child growth, concluding the strongest associations with conditional heights for adulthood and 2 years of age. The study confirms that maternal height influences linear growth of children over the growing period.

Of two studies focusing on the political context of maternal health in India, one, featured in Science Direct, uses evidence from two South Indian states to identify three key factors that shape health policy and its implementation: consistent political priorities, policy entrepreneurship, and strong public health system administration.

Thank you for your interest in the POSHAN Abstract Digest. Please feel free to share this digest with others, and engage in discussions with us on our Facebook page! We wish you and your families a very happy new year and we look forward to sharing highlights of maternal and child nutrition publications in 2014.

Click here to download the latest issue:

POSHAN Abstract Digest Issue#6DEC2013

For earlier issues, please visit our blog.