Diet quality, child health, and food policies in developing countries

Although the importance of diet quality for improving child health is widely recognized, the roles of environmental factors and the absorption of nutrients for children's physical growth and morbidity have not been adequately integrated into a policy framework. Moreover, nutrient intakes gradua...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The World Bank research observer 2015-08, Vol.30 (2), p.247-276
Main Author: Bhargava, Alok
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bildungspolitik
child health
Children & youth
Childrens health
cognitive development
Developing countries
diet quality
economic development
Entwicklung
Entwicklungsland
Ernährungspolitik
Ernährungsverhalten
food policies
Food quality
Gesundheit
Human growth
Kind
Kindersterblichkeit
LDCs
Lernen
livestock production
Morbidity
Public policy
Steuer
Studies
taxation
Tierhaltung
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Description
Summary:Although the importance of diet quality for improving child health is widely recognized, the roles of environmental factors and the absorption of nutrients for children's physical growth and morbidity have not been adequately integrated into a policy framework. Moreover, nutrient intakes gradually affect child health, so it is helpful to use alternative tools to evaluate short-term interventions versus long-term food policies. This article emphasizes the role of diet quality reflected in the intake of nutrients such as protein, calcium, and iron for children's physical growth. Vitamins A and C are important for reducing morbidity. Children's growth and morbidity affect their cognitive development, which is critical for the future supply of skilled labor and economic growth. Evidence on these issues from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Tanzania is summarized. The supply of nutritious foods is appraised from the viewpoint of improving diet quality. Finally, the roles of educational campaigns and indirect taxes on unhealthy processed foods consumed by the affluent in developing countries are discussed.
ISSN:0257-3032
1564-6971
1564-6971
DOI:10.1093/wbro/lku011