Family Socio-economic Status, Mother’s Psychosocial Skills, and Children’s Human Capital: Evidence from Four Low- and Middle-income Countries

Research comparing the adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) across countries with different socio-economic status is lacking, which may be a concern for developing nutrition policies. The aim was to report on the adherence to FBDGs in high-income (HIC) and low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). A systematic review with searches in six databases was performed up to June 2020. English language articles were included if they investigated a population of healthy children and adults (7–65 years), using an observational or experimental design evaluating adherence to national FBDGs. Findings indicate that almost 40% of populations in both HIC and LMIC do not adhere to their national FBDGs. Fruit and vegetables (FV) were most adhered to and the prevalence of adhering FV guidelines was between 7% to 67.3%. HIC have higher consumption of discretionary foods, while results were mixed for LMIC. Grains and dairy were consumed below recommendations in both HIC and LMIC. Consumption of animal proteins (>30%), particularly red meat, exceeded the recommendations. Individuals from HIC and LMIC may be falling short of at least one dietary recommendation from their country’s guidelines. Future health policies, behavioral-change strategies, and dietary guidelines may consider these results in their development.

Download Full-text

Suicide among refugees

Oxford Textbook of Migrant Psychiatry ◽

10.1093/med/9780198833741.003.0063 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 543-552

Author(s):

Lakshmi Vijayakumar ◽

Sujit John ◽

A.T. Jotheeswaran

Keyword(s):

Economic Status ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Healthcare Systems ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Socio Economic Status ◽

Scant Attention ◽

Exposure To Trauma ◽

Global Public Health Problem

Suicide is a global public health problem, with the majority of suicides occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The UNHCR reported that in 2017 there were 25.4 million refugees, with the majority (85%) being hosted by developing countries, which have limited infrastructure, healthcare systems, and are often politically and economically unstable. A review of suicidal behaviour among refugees reveals a prevalence of 3.4–40%. Female sex, higher education and socio-economic status, exposure to trauma, presence of psychological disorders, long stay in detention centres, and rejection of asylum status are associated with increased suicidal risk. Globally, data for rates of suicide among refugee groups are not available and any interventions to reduce suicide among refugees have received scant attention. A theoretical model for understanding suicide risk in refugees is proposed in this chapter and the possible interventions discussed.

Download Full-text

Social Mobility and Human Capital in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

10.1093/oso/9780192896858.003.0013 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 301-350

Author(s):

Jere R. Behrman

Keyword(s):

Human Capital ◽

Social Mobility ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Socioemotional Skills ◽

Low And Middle Income ◽

Positive Impacts

Parental human capital and endowments may affect children’s human capital, which in turn may affect children’s income and thus social mobility. This chapter focuses on what we know about these links in low- and middle-income countries. It starts with definitions of human capital and endowments and simple frameworks for guiding summaries of what we know and do not know about these links. It discusses determinants of children’s human capital in the form of cognitive skills, socioemotional skills and health, which pertain directly to some indicators of social mobility; reviews estimates of impacts of these forms of human capital, which pertain to some other indicators of social mobility, such as income; and concludes with a summary suggesting some positive impacts of parental human capital and endowments on social mobility in low- and middle-income countries, policy implications, and gaps in the literature pertaining to both data and methodology.

Download Full-text