Stagnant Stunting Rate Despite Rapid Economic Growth in Papua New Guinea : Factors Correlated with Malnutrition among Children under Five
Maternal and child undernutrition is a pervasive and detrimental condition in Papua New Guinea. Despite rapid economic growth during the past decade, the stunting rate for children under 5, one of the primary indicators for child undernutrition, wa...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/06/24611773/stagnant-stunting-rate-despite-rapid-economic-growth-papua-new-guineafactors-correlated-malnutrition-among-children-under-five http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22173 |
| Summary: | Maternal and child undernutrition is a
pervasive and detrimental condition in Papua New Guinea.
Despite rapid economic growth during the past decade, the
stunting rate for children under 5, one of the primary
indicators for child undernutrition, was estimated at 46
percent in Papua New Guinea in 2010, stagnant from 44
percent in 2005. This paper analyzes the association between
the demographic, socioeconomic, environmental, and
health-related factors on nutritional status for children
under age 5 years, using the 2009–10 Papua New Guinea
Household Income and Expenditure Survey. Stunting and
underweight rates sharply rise in the first 24 months. Even
in the better-off quintiles, children suffer from suboptimal
breastfeeding and complementary food in the first 24 months.
In general, the regression results showed that household
wealth and geographic location are crucial factors that
contribute to children’s malnutrition. More importantly,
food quality, measured by protein intake, has significant
predicting power on child malnutrition. Broadly increasing
socioeconomic status and improving the quantity and quality
of caloric intake are general steps to improving health
outcomes in Papua New Guinea. In addition, three key areas
were identified as critical to alleviating the persistent
and detrimental stunting rate in the country: (1) exclusive
breastfeeding and complementary food; (2) interventions by
health workers; and (3) nutrition education. |
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