Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
06:48

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

4.4K

Africa in transition: growth trends in children and implications for nutrition

Shane A Norris1, Stephanie Wrottesley, Rihlat Said Mohamed

  • 1MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism
|October 25, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Child stunting remains a significant issue in Africa despite economic growth. Rising adult obesity and persistent inequality highlight a double burden of malnutrition, requiring multisectoral approaches for child nutrition.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Nutrition Science
  • African Studies

Background:

  • Child stunting (low height-for-age) remains prevalent in African under-5 populations.
  • Economic development over the past decade has not led to expected decreases in stunting.
  • Inequality limits the benefits of economic growth for vulnerable populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review child stunting prevalence in Africa.
  • To analyze the relationship between economic growth, adult obesity, and child stunting.
  • To determine the implications for child nutrition strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of child growth and stunting.
  • Analysis of contemporary data on child stunting across Africa.
  • Examination of socioeconomic factors and nutritional trends.

Main Results:

  • Child stunting persists across Africa, contradicting expected declines with economic progress.
  • Increasing adult obesity, particularly among females, is associated with economic growth.
  • Many African nations face a dual burden of malnutrition (undernutrition and overnutrition).

Conclusions:

  • Multisectoral strategies are essential to reduce stunting in African children.
  • Interventions must also address the rising rates of adult obesity.
  • Addressing the double burden of malnutrition is critical for improving child nutrition outcomes in Africa.

More Related Videos

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography03:35

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Published on: December 1, 2023

846
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study09:36

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

26.6K

Related Concept Videos

Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
19.3K
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
918
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns01:29

Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns

Microorganisms exhibit diverse oxygen requirements and growth patterns driven by their metabolic strategies and environmental adaptations. Oxygen, while essential for many organisms, can also be toxic under certain conditions, shaping how microorganisms grow and survive.Oxygen Requirements of MicroorganismsMicroorganisms are classified based on their ability to use or tolerate oxygen:● Obligate aerobes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis need oxygen for energy production, as it serves as the...
2.5K
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
391
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
22.4K
Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth01:26

Exponential Equations for Modeling Growth

Exponential models are essential for describing rapid, multiplicative changes in natural systems, such as population growth. When a population doubles at regular intervals, the process can be modeled using a suitable base. For instance, a bacterial culture that doubles every three hours follows the model n(t)=n0⋅2t/3, where n(t) is the population at the time t.A more general model uses the natural base e, especially for continuous growth. This takes the form n(t)=n0⋅ert, where r is...
457