Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

DaCHE discussion papers,
University of Southern Denmark, Dache - Danish Centre for Health Economics

No 2015:4: Effects of Food Price Shocks on Child Malnutrition: The Mozambican Experience 2008/09

Channing Arndt (), M. Azhar Hussain (), Vincenzo Salvucci () and Lars Peter Østerdal ()
Additional contact information
Channing Arndt: Institute for Development Economics Research, United Nations University:
M. Azhar Hussain: Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University
Vincenzo Salvucci: Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen
Lars Peter Østerdal: Department of Business and Economics, and COHERE, University of Southern

Abstract: : A propitiously timed household survey carried out in Mozambique over the period 2008/09 permits us to study the relationship between pronounced shifts in food prices and child nutrition status. We focus on child malnutrition status in different survey quarters characterized by very different food price inflation rates. We find that the prevalence of wasting and underweight amongst under-five children is significantly lower in the fourth quarter, when the inflation rate for basic food products is low. Consistent with a short run shock such as a price shock, stunting rates and height-for-age Z-scores, which reflect longer run factors, are insignificantly different across quarters. We conclude that the best available evidence points to the food and fuel price crisis as substantially increasing malnutrition amongst under-five children in Mozambique during the period of the shock.

Keywords: food prices; inflation; child malnutrition; Mozambique

JEL-codes: C51; D12; I32; O12

17 pages, October 1, 2015

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