| Abstract: |
Summarizes the conclusions from an analysis of epidemiologic studies of the relationship between malnutrition and mortality among children. Multiplicative effects of malnutrition and infection on child mortality
Implications for health policy on a global, country or local context. This article discusses the idea that the relationship between nutriton and mortality is consistent across populations. Also noted is that the effect of confounding factors such as socioeconomic status or intercurrent illness. Analysis is based on 28 epidemiologic studies of th malnutrition-mortality relationship. Malnutrition should not be viewed as a cause of death on its own. Instead, it acts as a catalyst of existing infectious diseases that is continguent on the degree of malnutrition. Consequently, it is both meaningless and misleading to ascribe a certain number of deaths to either malnutrition or infectious disease alone.
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