Exploring the consequences of chronic underNutrition; in children

UnderNutrition; affects the health and development of children. More than half of childhood deaths are attributed to underNutrition;. Additionally, underNutrition; can lead to delayed mental development and poor school performance. Using data from Ghana and Peru, we completed two studies exploring consequences of underNutrition;. Blood samples and anthropometric measurements from 214 children less than five years of age from a rural Ghanaian community were collected during physical exams. Data were used to determine if an association exists between stunting and presence of asymptomatic malaria. Results indicated that children who experienced mild, moderate or severe stunting were not more likely to have asymptomatic malaria than children who experienced no stunting. Anemia and spleen size were associated with presence of asymptomatic malaria. Based on these findings, we recommend stunting not be used as a screening measure for children with asymptomatic malaria and that Nutrition;-based programs in malaria endemic areas focus on addressing iron deficiency. Longitudinal data from 1674 Peruvian children were evaluated to investigate the relationships between early (6-18 months) and concurrent stunting (4.5-6 years) on cognition at age 5. We also compared children who experience catch-up growth after early stunting to children who never experienced stunting to determine whether they have lower scores on two cognitive assessments. Children who experienced early or concurrent stunting were more likely to score lower on verbal and quantitative assessments. Children who experienced catch-up growth did not score significantly lower on either assessment than children who never experienced stunting. Children who lived in cities, attended preschool, had grandparents at home, had better educated mothers and experienced less severe stunting at one year of age were more likely to demonstrate catch-up growth. These findings document the need for upstream investments in infrastructure, education, and family planning services as well as evidence-based Nutrition;al interventions to reduce cognitive deficits stemming from underNutrition;. Nutrition;al interventions that focus primarily on the first 2 years of life should consider the impact of catch-up growth as well. Such programs should begin early and continue past the first 2 years of life.