Acute Undernutrition and Child Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Meta-analysis

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

Discussion

Meta-analysis estimates the impact of acute undernutrition on child development in LMICs, implying significant developmental risks.

Metrics of acute undernutrition, especially severe acute malnutrition, correlate with lower cognitive and motor development scores.
In longitudinal studies, severe acute malnutrition showed a significant decrease of -1.06 SD in cognitive scores compared to non-SAM children.
Wasting was linked to lower motor scores with an SMD of -0.30, highlighting potential developmental vulnerabilities.
Childhood acute undernutrition consistently affects development outcomes, necessitating attention in low- and middle-income countries.

Ali et al. (2025) studied this question.

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark