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Diet Quality, Child Health, and Food Policies in Developing Countries
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Diet Quality, Child Health, and Food Policies in Developing Countries

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  • Alok Bhargava

Abstract

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.

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  • Alok Bhargava, 2015. "Diet Quality, Child Health, and Food Policies in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 247-276.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbrobs:v:30:y:2015:i:2:p:247-276.
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    1. Mousumi Das & Ajay Sharma & Suresh Chandra Babu, 2018. "Pathways from agriculture-to-nutrition in India: implications for sustainable development goals," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(6), pages 1561-1576, December.
    2. Mousumi Das, 2014. "Measures, spatial profile and determinants of dietary diversity: Evidence from India," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2014-045, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    3. Bhargava, Alok, 2019. "Climate change, demographic pressures and global sustainability," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 149-154.
    4. Christian Oldiges, 2017. "Measuring Malnutrition and Dietary Diversity: Theory and Evidence from India," OPHI Working Papers ophiwp108.pdf, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    5. Winters, P. & Gitter, S.R. & Manley, J. & Bernstein, B., 2017. "IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 18 - Do agricultural support and cash transfer programmes improve nutritional status?," IFAD Research Series 280056, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    6. Niti Aayog GOI, 2017. "Evaluation Study on Role of Public Distribution System in Shaping Household and Nutritional Security India," Working Papers id:11753, eSocialSciences.
    7. Seth R. Gitter & James Manley & Jill Bernstein & Paul Winters, 2022. "Do agricultural support and cash transfer programmes improve nutritional status?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 203-235, January.
    8. Alwin D'Souza & Ashok K. Mishra & Stefan Hirsch, 2020. "Enhancing food security through diet quality: The role of nonfarm work in rural India," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 95-110, January.
    9. Caroline Krafft, 2015. "The Determinants of Child Health Disparities in Jordan," Working Papers 950, Economic Research Forum, revised Sep 2015.

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