Child mortality and malnutrition linked to gender inequality

Women's status in society is strongly linked with children's health and survival according to a new study from UCL and the University of Cambridge. The study, published in Global Health Epidemiology and Genomics today analysed data from 96 countries and suggests that the level of societal gender inequality, such as the number of women in employment or their levels of education relative to men, is an important factor contributing to rates of child malnutrition and mortality. Each year over 20 million children, or 1 in 7 of all those born, have low birth-weight. One in four becomes malnourished during the first 5 years of life which, in turn, increases the mortality risk. For those who survive, poor growth in early life reduces educational progress and increases susceptibility to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes in adulthood. National efforts to reduce low birth weight and child malnutrition and mortality generally prioritise economic growth. The study suggests that this may be ineffective as rising gross domestic product (GDP) also imposes health costs, such as obesity and non-communicable dieases.