Food price spikes are associated with increased malnutrition among children in Andhra Pradesh, India

Global food prices have risen sharply since 2007. The impact of food price spikes on the risk of malnutrition in children is not well understood. The researchers investigated the associations between food price spikes and childhood malnutrition in Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s largest states, with >85 million people. Because wasting (thinness) indicates in most cases a recent and severe process of weight loss that is often associated with acute food shortage, we tested the hypothesis that the escalating prices of rice, legumes, eggs, and other staples of Indian diets significantly increased the risk of wasting (weight-for-height z scores) in children.

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