The impact of civil conflict on infant and child malnutrition, Nigeria, 2013.
Matern Child Nutr
; 16(3): e12968, 2020 07.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32048455
ABSTRACT
The new millennium brought renewed attention to improving the health of women and children. In this same period, direct deaths from conflicts have declined worldwide, but civilian deaths associated with conflicts have increased. Nigeria is among the most conflict-prone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially recently with the Boko Haram insurgency in the north. This paper uses two data sources, the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey for Nigeria and the Social Conflict Analysis Database, linked by geocode, to study the effect of these conflicts on infant and young child acute malnutrition (or wasting). We show a strong association in 2013 between living close to a conflict zone and acute malnutrition in Nigerian children, with larger effects for rural children than urban children. This is related to the severity of the conflict, measured both in terms of the number of conflict deaths and the length of time the child was exposed to conflict. Undoubtedly, civil conflict is limiting the future prospects of Nigerian children and the country's economic growth. In Nigeria, conflicts in the north are expected to continue with sporadic attacks and continued damaged infrastructure. Thus, Nigerian children, innocent victims of the conflict, will continue to suffer the consequences documented in this study.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Trastornos de la Nutrición del Niño
/
Conflictos Armados
Límite:
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Matern Child Nutr
Asunto de la revista:
CIENCIAS DA NUTRICAO
/
PERINATOLOGIA
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos