Nurtition of young children and mothers in Mali : findings from the 2001 Mali demographic and health survey = Nutrition des jeunes enfants et des meres au Mali : resultats de l"enquete demographique et de sante au Mali 2001

Other outcomes include an increased risk of illness and a lower level of cognitive development, which results in lower educational attainment. In adulthood, the accumulated effects of long-term malnutrition can be a reduction in workers" productivity and increased absenteeism in the workplace; these may reduce a person"s lifetime earning potential and ability to contribute to the national economy. Furthermore, malnutrition can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes. The data presented here are from the 2001 Mali Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS 2001), a nationally representative survey of 12,331 households, conducted by the Mali National Institute of Statistics and Economic Analysis and financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Government of Mali. ORC Macro provided technical assistance through its MEASURE DHS+ program. Of the 13,208 children age 0-59 months who were part of the study, 9,408 who were alive, whose mothers were interviewed, and who had complete anthropometric data were included in the nutrition analyses. Unless otherwise noted, all analyses include only children whose mothers were interviewed. Nutritional data collected on these children include height, weight, age, breastfeeding history, and feeding patterns. Information was also collected on the prevalence of diarrhea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the two weeks prior to the survey and on relevant sociodemographic characteristics. For comparison, data are presented from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in other sub-Saharan countries. (POPLINE abstract)