Maternal height linked to child deaths in India
Children of shorter mothers are 70% more likely to die due to underweight and anaemia, says a study about India by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. Another key finding suggests the presence of inter-generational transfer of poor health from mother to offspring.
Maternal height is an indicator of the mother’s childhood health environment, and poor health as a little girl leads to poor health of the children she has many years later, says a study by Indian-American researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), suggesting that Indian women are effectively passing on their early health status to the next generation.
The study, published in the April 22-29 issue of the American Medical Association journal, reveals an association between the height of the mother and several indicators of her children’s health, including risk of death, risk of being underweight, and anaemia.
The study was conducted by Associate Professor S.V. Subramanian and Neetu John, a Master’s student, both in the HSPH department of society, human development and health, and their colleagues Leland Ackerson from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, and George Davey Smith of the University of Bristol.
The authors used data from India’s 2005-06 National Family Health Survey, which is taken from a representative sample of households across the country. More than 50,000 children under the age of five were included in the survey.
Previous research conducted in India has focused on factors during pregnancy and early childhood that influence a child’s health outcomes; there has been little research on the impact of the health of the child’s parents.
A key finding of the study is that a mother’s own childhood health could impact the health of the children she may have many years later. “Our findings suggest the presence of inter-generational transfer of poor health from mother to offspring,” said Subramanian.
“Notably, since maternal height itself is a consequence of a mother’s childhood environment, our study is suggestive of the long-run and durable adverse impact of poor childhood conditions of the mother on the health of her offspring, 15-30 years later.”
Though the scientists have been unable to underline the exact reason behind the association between shorter mothers and the wellbeing of their children, it can be safely assumed that the most apparent biological link is the size of a woman’s uterus. A smaller uterus can lead to increased complications during pregnancy, thereby affecting the health of the child.
Talking about the effects of maternal height on a child, lead researcher Subramanian said that even a 1 cm increase in maternal height could decrease the risk of child mortality by 2%, and the risk of the child being underweight by 3%.
The study also examined paternal height, which was not found to be associated with child mortality.
The researchers believe these findings have important implications for the future of global health efforts. “I think what the study shows is the critical need to invest in children, and especially girls,” said Subramanian, “as the pay-off is not only for them as children and adults, but for their offspring as well.”
According to UNICEF, over 2 million children younger than five died in India in 2006, more than in any other country in the world, making up roughly a quarter of all child deaths worldwide.
The article had originally appeared in The Indian Express.
