Childhood stunting and subsequent educational outcomes: a marginal structural model analysis from a South African longitudinal study

Amusa, Lateef B., Bengesai, Annah V. and Khan, Hafiz T.A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1817-3730 (2022) Childhood stunting and subsequent educational outcomes: a marginal structural model analysis from a South African longitudinal study. Public Health Nutrition, 25 (11). pp. 3016-3024. ISSN 1368-9800

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Abstract

Objective:
To examine the association between childhood stunting and grade completion (as educational outcome) in South Africa.
Design:
Longitudinal study. Data was obtained using the National Income Dynamics Study over five waves (2008 to 2017). Children were tracked at wave 1 in 2008 until wave 5 in 2017 to determine their total years of schooling. We controlled for time-variant and time-varying confounding with a marginal structural model to estimate the associations between childhood stunting and subsequent grade completion.
Setting:
Nationally representative study of South African households.
Participants:
A total of 2629 children aged 2 and 3 in 2008.
Results:
We observed a substantial decrease in the prevalence of stunting between wave 1 (28.2%) and wave 4 (8.6%). Our marginal structural model results suggest that childhood stunting was significantly associated with decreased odds (22% less likely) of grade completion (OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.86; p = 0.015), while those who were only stunted during early childhood had a 29% reduction in the odds of grade completion (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.82; p = 0.020).
Conclusion:
These findings underscore the fact that stunting is a significant predictor of academic achievement, whose effects might be long lasting.

Item Type: Article
Identifier: 10.1017/s1368980022001823
Keywords: Stunting, marginal structural model, confounding, South Africa
Subjects: Education
Medicine and health > Child health
Medicine and health > Nutrition
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Hafiz T.A. Khan
Date Deposited: 22 Aug 2022 15:02
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2024 16:11
URI: https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/9349

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