As of 2011, nearly 40 percent of toddlers in 137 developing countries were stunted – a term used to describe children who are two or more standard deviations shorter than the global median. New research funded by the Canadian government offers a ranking of five main causes for stunted growth, with the leading causes described as poor fetal growth in the womb and preterm births. The study maps out which countries are most susceptible to which risks, to help local policymakers address these issues.
Authors:
Goodarz Danaei , Kathryn G. Andrews, Christopher R. Sudfeld, Günther Fink, Dana Charles McCoy, Evan Peet, Ayesha Sania, Mary C. Smith Fawzi, Majid Ezzati, Wafaie W. Fawzi
Canadian contributor:
Liam Brown, Grand Challenges Canada, Email: liam.brown@grandchallenges.ca
Original paper published in PLOS Medicine on November 1, 2016.
