TY - JOUR
T1 - Child malnutrition and prenatal care
T2 - Evidence from three Latin American countries
AU - Forero-Ramirez, Nohora
AU - Gamboa, Luis F.
AU - Bedi, Arjun
AU - Sparrow, Robert
PY - 2014/3
Y1 - 2014/3
N2 - Objective. To examine the effect of prenatal care (PNC) on the level and distribution of child stunting in three Andean countries-Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru-where expanding access to such care has been an explicit policy intervention to tackle child malnutrition in utero and during early childhood. Methods. An econometric analysis of cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data was conducted. The analysis included ordinary least-squares (OLS) regressions, estimates of concentration curves, and decompositions of a concentration index. Results. The analysis shows that the use of PNC in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru is only weakly associated with a reduction in the level of child malnutrition. Conclusions. Further expansion of PNC programs is unlikely to play a large role in reducing inequalities in malnutrition.
AB - Objective. To examine the effect of prenatal care (PNC) on the level and distribution of child stunting in three Andean countries-Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru-where expanding access to such care has been an explicit policy intervention to tackle child malnutrition in utero and during early childhood. Methods. An econometric analysis of cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data was conducted. The analysis included ordinary least-squares (OLS) regressions, estimates of concentration curves, and decompositions of a concentration index. Results. The analysis shows that the use of PNC in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru is only weakly associated with a reduction in the level of child malnutrition. Conclusions. Further expansion of PNC programs is unlikely to play a large role in reducing inequalities in malnutrition.
KW - Child nutrition disorders
KW - Health inequalities
KW - Latin America
KW - Prenatal care
KW - Stature by age
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902177557&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
SN - 1020-4989
VL - 35
SP - 163
EP - 171
JO - Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica/Pan American Journal of Public Health
JF - Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica/Pan American Journal of Public Health
IS - 3
ER -