Taller but thinner: trends in child anthropometry in Senegal, 1990–2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (13) ◽  
pp. 2365-2372
Author(s):  
Michel Garenne

AbstractObjective:To investigate trends in child anthropometry in Senegal between 1990 and 2015 and relate them with potential causes. Several hypotheses were tested: changes in health status, income, diet and socio-economic status.Design:Statistical analysis of trends in anthropometric data: height, weight, BMI and associated Z-scores calculated with the CDC-2000 standard (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ). Trends were fitted with linear regression models and were related with changes in health and socio-economic status.Setting:Nine nationally representative samples of Senegalese children aged 12–59 months, taken between 1986 and 2017 by Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS).Participants:Children aged 12–59 months.Results:Over the 25 years of investigation, the average height of children increased by +1·88 cm, their average weight by +0·10 kg, but their BMI decreased by −0·53 kg/m2. Corresponding changes expressed in Z-scores were +0·454 in HAZ, +0·109 in WAZ and −0·302 in WHZ. This pattern of decreasing stunting while increasing wasting was correlated with decreasing child mortality, despite small changes in income per capita and in adult heights or BMI. Largest improvements in HAZ were among the lower socio-economic strata, while largest declines in WHZ were among higher socio-economic strata.Conclusions:Decline in stunting appeared associated primarily with the control of infectious diseases, also responsible for the mortality decline. Increase in wasting was surprising. It appears associated with small changes in income per capita, and therefore in diet, in a context of increasing height.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246309
Author(s):  
Sunday A. Adedini ◽  
Jacob Wale Mobolaji ◽  
Matthew Alabi ◽  
Adesegun O. Fatusi

Context Nigeria is a high-burden country in terms of young people’s health. Understanding changes in young people’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) behaviours and the associated factors is important for framing appropriate interventions. Objective This study assessed changes in SRH behaviours of unmarried young people aged 15–24 and associated factors over a ten-year period in Nigeria. Data and method We analysed datasets from Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys of 2008, 2013 and 2018 to assess changes in inconsistent condom use, non-use of modern contraceptives; multiple sexual partnership; and early sexual debut. Using binary logistic regression, we assessed the association of selected variables with the SRH behaviours. Results Over four-fifths of unmarried young people (15–24) in Nigeria engaged in at least one risky sexual behaviour in each survey year. The pattern of changes in the four risky SRH behaviours was consistent over the 10-year period, with the highest rates of each behaviour occurring in 2018 while the lowest rates were in 2013, thus indicating an increase in the proportion of respondents engaging in risky sexual behaviours over the study period. Comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge, male gender, older age category (20–24), residence in south-west Nigeria, urban residence, higher socio-economic status, secondary/higher education were mostly protective against the four SRH variables analysed across the different data waves. Conclusion Addressing the high and increasing level of risky SRH behaviours among young people in Nigeria is imperative to improve overall national health status and to ensure progress towards achieving SDG target 3.7 focusing on SRH.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nai Peng Tey ◽  
Siow Li Lai ◽  
Sor Tho Ng ◽  
Kim Leng Goh ◽  
Ahmad Farid Osman

This paper examines income differentials across the 16 states/territories in Malaysia, using quantile regression of income per capita on a nationally representative sample of 24,463 households in 2014. The results show that the vast differentials in income per capita across states are attenuated after taking into account urban-rural and ethnic distribution, but remain significant. Income differentials across states vary at different levels of income, being more pronounced at the lower ends of the distributions. States and territory in the central region had the highest income. The three states in the southern regions fared better than those in the northern region (except Penang), and the eastern region as well as East Malaysia. Other variables such as level of urbanisation, the educational level, migration, employment structure, and female labour force participation may also affect income differentials across states.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
Outi Sarpila ◽  
Jani Erola

According to previous research, physical appearance is an important asset that contributes to socio-economic success. However, the consequences associated with physical appearance are often considered gendered. By focusing on the two aspects relevant to physical attractiveness and social stratification, gender and socio-economic status (SES), the article examines whether or not women and men in certain socio-economic positions consider physical attractiveness an important asset in everyday life. We use data from a nationally representative survey. Our analyses suggest that women tend to believe that physical attractiveness contributes to success in life more often than men. Furthermore, we find that the representatives of the middle class, in particular, recognise the significance of physical attractiveness. This applies to both women and men. The results suggest that appearance-related beliefs reflect, first and foremost, the internal battle of middle status positions as well as the willingness to separate oneself from a lower status group.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Cosma ◽  
András Költő ◽  
Petr Badura ◽  
Petr Winkler ◽  
Michal Kalman

Abstract Background: Recent literature points to a decline over time in adolescent mental well-being but results are inconsistent and rely mainly on data from Western societies. This study investigates time trends in adolescent mental well-being (psychological and somatic complaints, life satisfaction) among Czech adolescents and explores whether these time trends are moderated by gender, age and socio-economic status. Methods: Nationally representative data from 29,378 Czech adolescents (50.8% girls, M age = 13.43; SD age = 1.65) across five Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018) were included in the analyses. Hierarchical regression models estimated national trends in adolescent mental well-being. We also tested whether these trends vary between girls and boys, adolescents of different age and from different socio-economic backgrounds. Results: Across the quadrennial surveys from 2002 to 2018, an increase in the psychological complaints was observed. Life satisfaction decreased over time up to 2014 only, whereas somatic symptoms increased until 2010, followed by a decline in 2014 and 2018. Girls, older adolescents and those from low family affluence reported poorer mental well-being outcomes. Gender gap increased over time for psychological complaints and life satisfaction. Socio-economic inequalities gap in adolescent mental well-being remained stable over the investigated timeframe. Conclusions: Our findings do not provide evidence for substantial temporal changes in mental well-being among adolescents in Czechia. Yet, only the increase in psychological complaints has been consistent which is an indicator of a decline over time in adolescent mental well-being. Furthermore, the gender gap in reporting psychological complaints and life satisfaction increased over time, whereas the age and socio-economic differences remained relatively stable. This calls for the attention of public health professionals and policy makers from Czechia. Keywords: Adolescence; mental health; mental well-being; well-being; gender; trends; age; socio-economic status; HBSC


2018 ◽  
Vol 236 ◽  
pp. 1063-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie A.E. Young ◽  
Emily C. Hannum

AbstractIn recent decades, China has transformed from a relatively egalitarian society to a highly unequal one. What are the implications of high levels of inequality for the lives of children? Drawing on two nationally representative datasets, the China Family Panel Studies and the China Education Panel Survey, we develop a comprehensive portrait of childhood inequality in post-reform China. Analyses reveal stark disparities between children from different socio-economic backgrounds in family environments and in welfare outcomes, including physical health, psychosocial health and educational performance. We argue that childhood inequality in China is driven not only by the deprivations of poverty but also by the advantages of affluence, as high socio-economic status children diverge from their middle and low socio-economic status counterparts on various family environment and child welfare measures.


1977 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-180
Author(s):  
F. Desmond Mccarthy

Pakistan's Development Perspective (1975-80) provides for an increase in private consumption at the rate of over 7 percent per annum and this implies a per capita increase of 4.2 percent per year. In order to examine the implica¬tion of these projections it is of interest to look at almost all aspects of the country's economic and socio-political structure. This paper focuses primarily on just one part of the overall picture-namely some options that might be considered on the demand side of the economy. Ideally one would like to understand each individual's milieu and characteristics to try and project his future behaviour as a consumer with reasonable accuracy. In practice this is, of course, not feasible so that one must strive for a balance between a manageable amount of data and yet capture enough of the key features of market behaviour to produce meaningful results. These features should ideally reflect socio-economic status, and regional and seasonal variations. Largely because of the type of data readily available, this paper tends to emphasize the first class of features and for the most part ignores the other two.


Author(s):  
Ingrid Leversen ◽  
Torbjorn Torsheim ◽  
Oddrun Samdal

The present paper explores gendered behavior based on participation patterns of leisure activities among adolescents across socio-economic status (SES) groups, aiming to increase knowledge and understanding of how gender socialization processes are expressed through boys’ and girls’ participation in leisure activities. Furthermore, the aim is to investigate whether such gendered behavior is associated with general levels of participation, and if there may be differences between low, middle, and high SES groups. The study used Norwegian nationally representative data of 15- and 16-year-olds from the World Health Organization's cross-sectional survey, <em>Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2005/06</em> (<em>n</em> = 3,273). Logistic regression analysis and propensity scores showed that adolescent boys and girls had clear gendered behavior patterns based on leisure activity participation in 27 different activities, and that boys and girls had about equal distributions on what was classified as typical (“boyish” or “girlish”), atypical, and neutral gender behavior. Furthermore, gendered behavior was correlated with higher levels of participation for both sexes, and it was more or less similar for boys and girls and for different socio-economic status groups. However, when investigating differences in distributions between SES groups, high SES girls were found to have a significantly higher prevalence of both “boyish” and “girlish” activity behavior, but less “gender-neutral” compared with girls in medium and low SES groups. There were no such differences for boys.


Author(s):  
Tulika Singh ◽  
Sanju Sharma ◽  
Seetharamaiya Nagesh

The health status of any country depends on the socio-economic status (SES) and the per capita income of its citizens. The SES also decides the affordability and utilization of the health facilities. Constant changes in the price of goods in the country due to inflation make it mandatory to constantly update the income-based socioeconomic scales. This paper attempts to provide updates in Kuppuswamy, B.G. Prasad and udai pareek socioeconomic scales for 2017.


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