Citation

Yoon, Paula W.; Black, Robert E.; Moulton, Lawrence H.; & Becker, Stan (1997). The Effect of Malnutrition on the Risk of Diarrheal and Respiratory Mortality in Children

Abstract

The effects of nutritional status on diarrheal and acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) mortality in children < 2 y of age were examined by using data from a 1988-1991 longitudinal study of 9942 children in Metro Cebu, Philippines. Cox regression methods were used to study the strengths of the associations, possible interactions with birth weight and breast-feeding status, and the effect of additional confounding factors. Nutritional status as measured by weight-for-age was a significant risk factor for both ALRI and diarrheal mortality in the first 2 y of life. Poor nutritional status resulted in a 1 .6-fold increased risk of diarrheal mortality for each one-unit decrease in weight-for-age Z score. For ALRI mortality, a one-unit decrease in weight-for-age Z score resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in risk, and for mortality associated with ALRI and diarrhea combined, the relative risk was 2.0. This study provides further evidence that malnutrition is a major determinant of mortality in very young children and it is one of the first longitudinal studies to estimate the magnitude of the effect on cause-specific mortality associated with nutritional status.

URL

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/65/4/1070.long

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

1997

Journal Title

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Author(s)

Yoon, Paula W.
Black, Robert E.
Moulton, Lawrence H.
Becker, Stan