Scaling-up access to family planning may improve linear growth and child development in low and middle income countries.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A large literature has indicated a robust association between birth spacing and child survival, but evidence on the association of birth timing with physical growth in low and middle income countries (LMICs) remains limited.

Methods and results

Data from 153 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 61 LMICs conducted between 1990 and 2011 were combined to assess the association of birth timing with child stunting (height-for-age z-score <-2). A total of 623,789 children of birth order 1-5 contributed to the maternal age analysis, while the birth spacing dataset consisted of 584,226 children of birth order 2 and higher. Compared to 27-34 year old mothers, maternal age under 18 years was associated with a relative stunting risk of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.

SUBMITTER: Fink G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4096753 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature