Nutrition, Health and Economic Development Nexus in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Evidence from Vector Auto Regression Models

Abstract

BackgroundAdequate child nutrition in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) is critical as malnutrition is responsible for a significant proportion of child mortalities and ill‐health. Also, ensuring optimal maternal health in this region is necessary due to alarming rates of mortality among women and consequent effects on child health. It has been observed that economic development results in improved health and nutrition through advances in the field of medicine, reduction in mortality rates and increase in life expectancy. Adequate child nutrition and optimum maternal and child health have the potential to positively impact economic development. The majority of research has focused on the impact of economic development on child nutrition and maternal and child health; but studies rarely examine the reverse relationship of the impact of child nutrition and child and maternal health on economic development in SSA.MethodsWe examined the bi‐directional relationship of economic growth and child nutrition and maternal/child health at different income brackets and, given such relationships, estimated the direction and magnitude. Six SSA countries were grouped according to income brackets. We then employed the Toda–Yamamoto Approach to Granger Causality which takes into consideration lag effects. We forecasted quantitatively the impact of child nutrition/health and maternal health on economic development using variance decomposition, based on annual time‐series data from the World Bank's WDI, 1960–2012.ResultsWe found no significant relationship between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and child nutrition/health in low income countries (LIC) except in lower middle income countries (LMIC) and upper middle income countries (UMIC). In general, causality ran from child health/nutrition to GDP per capita in LMIC and UMIC. This suggests a causal effect of GDP per capita on child health/nutrition in LMIC and UMIC. In all LIC, there was evidence of causality effect of maternal education on child nutrition/health. Generally, we noted causality relationships between female life expectancy and education for all countries. Directionality results between maternal health and GDP per capita were mixed across countries. The effect of child health/nutrition to GDP per capita was generally higher than the contribution of GDP per capita to child health/nutrition at a 10‐year horizon, but the contribution of maternal health to GDP per capita was higher than the contribution of GDP per capita at a 10‐year horizon for only LMIC and UMIC.ConclusionsImproved child nutrition and maternal health may have substantial benefits on long term economic growth in SSA. The education of women is an important factor for optimum child nutrition, maternal and child health. Policies for long term economic growth should aim at investing in child nutrition, raising health sector investment especially towards women's health and strengthening the educational system of SSA countries, especially for girls.Support or Funding InformationNA