Factors associated with early growth in Egyptian infants: implications for addressing the dual burden of malnutrition

Author: Justine A Kalve, Valerie L. Flax, Ali Abdelmegeid, Farouk Salah, Seham Hafez, Magda Ramzy, Doaa Hamed, Gulsen Saleh, Rae Galloway
Language: English

The Maternal and Child Nutrition journal published an MCHIP co-authored article “Factors associated with early growth in Egyptian infants: implications for addressing the dual burden of malnutrition.”

The article examines infants and young children in Egypt, who face overlapping forms of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, stunting and overweight. Yet, in this setting, little is known about the factors associated with growth during the first year of life.

A rise in stunting in Lower Egypt from 2005 to 2008 prompted this implementation research study, which followed a longitudinal cohort of infants from birth to one year of age. The authors sought to determine if growth patterns and factors related to early growth differed in Lower and Upper Egypt, and examined the relationship between weight loss and subsequent stunting at 12 months of age.

The authors stress that countries like Egypt must address both stunting and overweight through improving dietary quality and reducing reliance on energy-dense foods.

To download the article, click here.