Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85
Abstract Background Previous famine studies reported the inverse link between early life nutritional deprivation and adulthood optimal health outcomes. However, there remain sparse data on the impact of early life famine exposure in later life economic achievement. Hence, we set out to examine the a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Archives of Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00564-w |
| _version_ | 1818720672987217920 |
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| author | Kalkidan Hassen Abate Misra Abdullahi Fedlu Abdulhay Getachew Arage Mohammed Mecha Mohammed Yenuss Habtamu Hassen Tefera Belachew |
| author_facet | Kalkidan Hassen Abate Misra Abdullahi Fedlu Abdulhay Getachew Arage Mohammed Mecha Mohammed Yenuss Habtamu Hassen Tefera Belachew |
| author_sort | Kalkidan Hassen Abate |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Previous famine studies reported the inverse link between early life nutritional deprivation and adulthood optimal health outcomes. However, there remain sparse data on the impact of early life famine exposure in later life economic achievement. Hence, we set out to examine the association of early life famine exposure on economic achievement among survivors of the 1983–85 great Ethiopian famine. Method A historical cohort study design was employed among 968 adult men and women in the Raya Kobo district, Northern Ethiopia. Participants were categorized into in utero exposed, postnatal exposed and unexposed groups based on self-reported age and birthdate. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and individual assets. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine wealth index as proxy for economic achievement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent effect of early life famine exposure on the outcome. Results In unadjusted model, compared to unexposed cohorts, in utero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were nearly twice more likely to fall in the lowest wealth category (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.64) and (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.45, 3.08), respectively. However, these associations became non-significant when adjusted for biologic and demographic variables (P > 0.05). Instead, educational status appeared to have significant association with wealth; those who can’t read or write among in utero and postnatal exposed group were three times more likely to fall in low wealth index category than those who achieved secondary and above level of education (OR = 3.00 95% CI: 1.74, 5.18) and (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.76), respectively. Similarly, those with primary education among in uero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were twice more likely to fall in the low wealth index than compared to those secondary and above level of education (OR = 2.04 95% CI: (1.18, 3.54) and (OR = 2.17 95% CI: 1.12, 4.22), respectively. Conclusion Education appears to be a significant independent factor to determine one’s economic achievement in the studied famine cohort. This may imply, the possible impact of early life famine exposure on economic achievement later in adult life could be modified through better education. Our findings justify the need of expanding education in hunger spots in general and in famine settings in particular. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:26:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ba61ec80f3b4a7ba362a790b438d931 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2049-3258 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:26:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ba61ec80f3b4a7ba362a790b438d9312022-12-21T21:33:44ZengBMCArchives of Public Health2049-32582021-05-017911810.1186/s13690-021-00564-wEducation can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85Kalkidan Hassen Abate0Misra Abdullahi1Fedlu Abdulhay2Getachew Arage3Mohammed Mecha4Mohammed Yenuss5Habtamu Hassen6Tefera Belachew7Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityDepartment of Population and Family Heath, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma UniversityDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, DebreTabor UniversityDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jimma UniversityDepartment of Environmental Health Science, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Wollo UniversityDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics, Institute of Health, Jimma UniversityAbstract Background Previous famine studies reported the inverse link between early life nutritional deprivation and adulthood optimal health outcomes. However, there remain sparse data on the impact of early life famine exposure in later life economic achievement. Hence, we set out to examine the association of early life famine exposure on economic achievement among survivors of the 1983–85 great Ethiopian famine. Method A historical cohort study design was employed among 968 adult men and women in the Raya Kobo district, Northern Ethiopia. Participants were categorized into in utero exposed, postnatal exposed and unexposed groups based on self-reported age and birthdate. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic and individual assets. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine wealth index as proxy for economic achievement. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the independent effect of early life famine exposure on the outcome. Results In unadjusted model, compared to unexposed cohorts, in utero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were nearly twice more likely to fall in the lowest wealth category (OR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.64) and (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.45, 3.08), respectively. However, these associations became non-significant when adjusted for biologic and demographic variables (P > 0.05). Instead, educational status appeared to have significant association with wealth; those who can’t read or write among in utero and postnatal exposed group were three times more likely to fall in low wealth index category than those who achieved secondary and above level of education (OR = 3.00 95% CI: 1.74, 5.18) and (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.48, 5.76), respectively. Similarly, those with primary education among in uero and postnatal famine exposed cohorts were twice more likely to fall in the low wealth index than compared to those secondary and above level of education (OR = 2.04 95% CI: (1.18, 3.54) and (OR = 2.17 95% CI: 1.12, 4.22), respectively. Conclusion Education appears to be a significant independent factor to determine one’s economic achievement in the studied famine cohort. This may imply, the possible impact of early life famine exposure on economic achievement later in adult life could be modified through better education. Our findings justify the need of expanding education in hunger spots in general and in famine settings in particular.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00564-wFamineWealthEconomic achievement |
| spellingShingle | Kalkidan Hassen Abate Misra Abdullahi Fedlu Abdulhay Getachew Arage Mohammed Mecha Mohammed Yenuss Habtamu Hassen Tefera Belachew Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 Archives of Public Health Famine Wealth Economic achievement |
| title | Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 |
| title_full | Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 |
| title_fullStr | Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 |
| title_short | Education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement: a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great Ethiopian famine 1983–85 |
| title_sort | education can modify the long term impact of early childhood famine exposure on adulthood economic achievement a historical cohort study among the survivors of the great ethiopian famine 1983 85 |
| topic | Famine Wealth Economic achievement |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00564-w |
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