Childhood undernutrition within the dry zone of Myanamr: does geographic location influence health outcomes?

Food security is dependent on ecological conditions and alterations to local environments, including impacts from climate change. Myanmar is experiencing the second highest rate of extreme weather events in the world and a high level of food insecurity, which threatens the nutritional supply for its population, especially children. The primary purpose of this study is to understand environmental risk factors and develop a visualization tool that captures the spatial distribution of childhood undernutrition within the Dry Zone of Myanmar. Of particular interest is the first 1,000 days of development. This study uses geographic and spatial statistics methods to examine the association of child undernutrition and environmental risk factors in the study area. Results suggest a decrease in stunting and underweight with increased precipitation and increased cultivated land.