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      Malnutrition Affects the Urban-Poor Disproportionately: A Study of Nigerian Urban Children of Different Socio-Economic Statuses

      research-article
      1 , 2
      Children
      MDPI
      children, malnutrition, socioeconomic status, thinness, overweight/obesity

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          Abstract

          Income inequality within the same place of residence may impact the nutritional status of children. This study therefore investigated the impact of income inequality on the nutritional status of children living in the same place of residence, using anthropometric tools. Children in four schools (Schools 1–4) within the vicinity of a housing estate in Umuahia, Nigeria, that charge fees making them ‘very affordable’, ‘affordable’, ‘expensive’ and ‘very expensive’, respectively, were recruited for the study. Thinness, overweight and obesity were defined using the Cole et al. reference standards. Thinness was present in 10.4% (13.0% of boys, 7.6% of girls); 20.4% (15.6% of boys, 27.3% of girls; and 0.7% (1.4% of boys, 0.0% of girls) of children in Schools 1–3, respectively; but absent in school 4. Only 3.7% (1.4% of boys, 6.1% of girls) and 5.6% (6.3% of boys, 4.5% of girls) of children in Schools 1 and 2, respectively, were overweight/obese. Conversely, 25.8% (18.9% of boys, 32.5% of girls) and 41.6% (38.8% of boys, 45.3% of girls) of children in Schools 3 and 4, respectively, were overweight/obese. The urban-poor (School 2) are clearly affected by malnutrition disproportionately.

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          Most cited references20

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          Urban-rural differentials in child malnutrition: trends and socioeconomic correlates in sub-Saharan Africa.

          Jean Fotso (2007)
          This paper examines levels and trends of urban-rural differentials in child malnutrition, and investigates whether residual differences exist between urban and rural areas, given comparable measures of socioeconomic status (SES) of households and communities. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys of 15 sub-Saharan African countries, and multilevel modelling, it shows that urban-rural differentials are considerable in all countries, that they have narrowed in most countries due primarily to an increase in urban malnutrition, and have widened in few countries as a result of sharp decline in urban malnutrition. These urban-rural gaps are abolished in almost all countries when SES is controlled. These results suggest that policies and programs contributing to the attainment of the MDGs should pay particular attention to the urban poor.
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            Is Open Access

            Association between economic growth and early childhood undernutrition: evidence from 121 Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 low-income and middle-income countries.

            Economic growth is widely regarded as a necessary, and often sufficient, condition for the improvement of population health. We aimed to assess whether macroeconomic growth was associated with reductions in early childhood undernutrition in low-income and middle-income countries.
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              Rural-urban differences in physical activity, physical fitness, and overweight prevalence of children.

              The increasing prevalence of overweight in youth has been well chronicled, but less is known about the unique patterns and risks that may exist in rural and urban environments. A better understanding of possible rural-urban differences in physical activity profiles may facilitate the development of more targeted physical activity interventions. Participants (1,687 boys; 1,729 girls) were recruited from fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes in schools from urban areas, small cities, and rural areas. Multilevel modeling analysis was used to examine rural-urban differences in physical activity and prevalence of overweight. Physical activity was assessed by self-report and body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Prevalence of overweight was higher among rural children (25%; P<.001) than children from urban areas (19%) and small cities (17%). Urban children were the least active overall (Cohens' d=-0.4), particularly around lunchtime while at school (d=-0.9 to -1.1). Children from small cities reported the highest levels of physical activity. The results of this study suggest there are rural-urban differences in children's prevalence of overweight and physical activity even within a fairly homogenous Midwestern state.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Academic Editor
                Journal
                Children (Basel)
                Children (Basel)
                children
                Children
                MDPI
                2227-9067
                23 September 2016
                December 2016
                : 3
                : 4
                : 17
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, PMB 1010 Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria; nonsoejikeecc@ 123456yahoo.com ; Tel.: +234-08036066777
                [2 ]Department of Biochemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, PMB 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria (affiliation at the time the research was conducted)
                Article
                children-03-00017
                10.3390/children3040017
                5184792
                27669325
                1260de2b-85bf-4cd7-b6b3-8d748a4bc3d5
                © 2016 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

                This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                : 08 August 2016
                : 19 September 2016
                Categories
                Article

                children,malnutrition,socioeconomic status,thinness,overweight/obesity

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