Child growth

Children’s growth trajectories in early life influence their long-term health and development. In particular, stunting, a form of linear growth faltering, is associated with increased risk of illness, impaired cognitive development, and mortality. We conducted individual participant meta-analyses of over 35 longitudinal cohort studies of child growth from 15 low- and middle-income countries from 1990 to 2015. We found that the majority of stunting onset occurs from birth through 3 months of age, with lower incidence at later ages. Our findings suggest that prenatal, early postnatal, and possibly pre-conception interventions are needed to prevent most linear growth faltering.

Early-childhood linear growth faltering in low- and middle-income countries. Nature. 2023.

Child wasting and concurrent stunting in low- and middle-income countries. Nature. 2023.

Causes and consequences of child growth faltering in low-resource settings. Nature. 2023.