Children who are exposed to aid at an early age are at a lower risk of suffering from chronic malnutrition. The most notable effects come from broad initiatives that impact household income, rather than targeted interventions focused on child and maternal health. This is highlighted by a study from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg published in World Development .
Chronic malnutrition causes children to be shorter than average for their age and affects their organ development, brain capacity, and immune system. To study how aid affects chronic malnutrition among children, researchers from the University of Gothenburg examined aid projects in Malawi in southeastern Africa. They used data on living conditions, weight, and height of 26,000 children and linked these to more than 770 aid projects in the country.
The results show that children who had an active aid project near their home from birth until the age of 2 were less likely to suffer from chronic malnutrition compared to children who were not exposed during this critical period. The study also reveals that aid projects that impact household wealth seem to have a greater effect than targeted interventions focusing on the health of children and mothers. "Even though aid projects in the form of nutritional supplements for young children can have positive effects, the results of targeted projects to combat chronic malnutrition are surprisingly weak.
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