Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Abstract Child stunting due to linear growth faltering remains a pervasive issue in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Two schools of thought have existed pertaining to the role of domestic livestock ownership (DLO) in child linear growth. On one hand, it is argued that DLO leads to greater income an...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13618 |
| _version_ | 1797234099149078528 |
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| author | Callum Lowe Haribondhu Sarma Darren Gray Matthew Kelly |
| author_facet | Callum Lowe Haribondhu Sarma Darren Gray Matthew Kelly |
| author_sort | Callum Lowe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Child stunting due to linear growth faltering remains a pervasive issue in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Two schools of thought have existed pertaining to the role of domestic livestock ownership (DLO) in child linear growth. On one hand, it is argued that DLO leads to greater income and financial security, resulting in better child‐raising conditions, including greater animal‐source food (ASF) consumption, having protective effects towards child stunting. On the other hand, researchers argue that DLO contributes to faecal contamination and transmission of zoonotic enteric infections from animals to children, thus having destructive effects on child growth. Reviews of this association have revealed ambiguous findings. In this perspective, we argue that measuring the association between exposures to domesticated animals and child stunting is difficult and the ambiguous associations revealed are a result of confounding and differences in the management of DLO. We also argue that the increasingly prominent area of research of environmental enteric dysfunction, a sub‐clinical condition of the small intestine thought to be due to frequent faecal pathogen exposure and associated with stunting, will be a useful tool to measure the potential destructive effects of DLO on child growth. We present our argument and identify challenges and considerations and directions for future research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:26:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3e66e43baa6143cda7ca2b56816d5a2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1740-8695 1740-8709 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:26:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-3e66e43baa6143cda7ca2b56816d5a2c2024-03-30T17:45:19ZengWileyMaternal and Child Nutrition1740-86951740-87092024-04-01202n/an/a10.1111/mcn.13618Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countriesCallum Lowe0Haribondhu Sarma1Darren Gray2Matthew Kelly3Department of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine Australian National University Acton Australian Capital Territory AustraliaDepartment of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine Australian National University Acton Australian Capital Territory AustraliaPopulation Health Program QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Brisbane Queensland AustraliaDepartment of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine Australian National University Acton Australian Capital Territory AustraliaAbstract Child stunting due to linear growth faltering remains a pervasive issue in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Two schools of thought have existed pertaining to the role of domestic livestock ownership (DLO) in child linear growth. On one hand, it is argued that DLO leads to greater income and financial security, resulting in better child‐raising conditions, including greater animal‐source food (ASF) consumption, having protective effects towards child stunting. On the other hand, researchers argue that DLO contributes to faecal contamination and transmission of zoonotic enteric infections from animals to children, thus having destructive effects on child growth. Reviews of this association have revealed ambiguous findings. In this perspective, we argue that measuring the association between exposures to domesticated animals and child stunting is difficult and the ambiguous associations revealed are a result of confounding and differences in the management of DLO. We also argue that the increasingly prominent area of research of environmental enteric dysfunction, a sub‐clinical condition of the small intestine thought to be due to frequent faecal pathogen exposure and associated with stunting, will be a useful tool to measure the potential destructive effects of DLO on child growth. We present our argument and identify challenges and considerations and directions for future research.https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13618animal faecesanimal source foodschild stuntingdomesticated animalsenvironmental enteric dysfunctionlinear growth faltering |
| spellingShingle | Callum Lowe Haribondhu Sarma Darren Gray Matthew Kelly Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries Maternal and Child Nutrition animal faeces animal source foods child stunting domesticated animals environmental enteric dysfunction linear growth faltering |
| title | Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_full | Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_fullStr | Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_short | Perspective: Connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_sort | perspective connecting the dots between domestic livestock ownership and child linear growth in low and middle income countries |
| topic | animal faeces animal source foods child stunting domesticated animals environmental enteric dysfunction linear growth faltering |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13618 |
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