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Towards a capability approach to child growth: A theoretical framework
Hinke Haisma1, Sepideh Yousefzadeh1, Pieter Boele Van Hensbroek1,2
1Population Research Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Maternal & Child Nutrition
|October 21, 2017
Summary
Child malnutrition remains a global challenge. A new capability approach redefines child growth beyond simple metrics, considering societal and parental factors for better health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Developmental Biology
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Child malnutrition significantly contributes to under-5 mortality and morbidity worldwide.
- Existing efforts to reduce child mortality have had partial success, with rates remaining high.
- Sustainable Development Goals offer multidimensional perspectives for improving child health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a theoretical framework for a capability approach to child growth.
- To challenge current child growth monitoring assumptions based on universal standards and limited indicators.
- To advance child growth assessment by incorporating multidimensional factors.
Main Methods:
- Developing a "capability" approach to child growth, inspired by Amartya Sen's multidimensional development framework.
- Drawing on social sciences and evolutionary biology to identify dimensions of healthy child growth.
- Proposing a "child growth matrix" that embeds contextual factors into assessments.
Main Results:
- Redefining child growth as the achievement of capabilities by society, parents, and children.
- Introducing a multidimensional framework to assess child growth, accounting for diversity and inequality.
- Highlighting the potential for a context-embedded growth matrix.
Conclusions:
- The capability approach offers a more nuanced understanding of child growth.
- This framework can inform more effective interventions and policies for child malnutrition and mortality.
- Addressing diversities and inequalities in child growth is crucial for global health initiatives.
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