Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study
IntroductionMaternal nutrition promotes maternal and child health. However, most interventions to address undernutrition are only implemented once pregnancy is known, and cannot address broader risk factors preceding conception. Poverty and socio-economic status are considered systemic risk factors,...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2024.1174646/full |
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| author | Akanksha A. Marphatia Akanksha A. Marphatia Jonathan C. K. Wells Alice M. Reid Aboli Bhalerao Chittaranjan S. Yajnik |
| author_facet | Akanksha A. Marphatia Akanksha A. Marphatia Jonathan C. K. Wells Alice M. Reid Aboli Bhalerao Chittaranjan S. Yajnik |
| author_sort | Akanksha A. Marphatia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionMaternal nutrition promotes maternal and child health. However, most interventions to address undernutrition are only implemented once pregnancy is known, and cannot address broader risk factors preceding conception. Poverty and socio-economic status are considered systemic risk factors, but both economic growth and cash transfers have had limited success improving undernutrition. Another generic risk factor is low human capital, referring to inadequate skills, knowledge and autonomy, and represented by traits such as low educational attainment and women's early marriage. Few studies have evaluated whether maternal human and socio-economic capital at conception are independently associated with maternal and offspring outcomes.MethodsUsing data on 651 mother-child dyads from the prospective Pune Maternal Nutrition Study in rural India, composite markers were generated of “maternal human capital” using maternal marriage age and maternal and husband's education, and 'socio-economic capital' using household wealth and caste. Linear and logistic regression models investigated associations of maternal low/mid human capital, relative to high capital, with her own nutrition and offspring size at birth, postnatal growth, education, age at marriage and reproduction, and cardiometabolic risk at 18 years. Models controlled for socio-economic capital, maternal age and parity.ResultsIndependent of socio-economic capital, and relative to high maternal human capital, low human capital was associated with shorter maternal stature, lower adiposity and folate deficiency but higher vitamin B12 status. In offspring, low maternal human capital was reflected in shorter gestation, smaller birth head girth, being breastfed for longer, poor postnatal growth, less schooling, lower fat mass and insulin secretion at 18 years. Daughters married and had children at an early age.DiscussionSeparating maternal human and socio-economic capital is important for identifying the aspects which are most relevant for future interventions. Low maternal human capital, independent of socio-economic capital, was a systemic risk factor contributing to an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, perpetuated through undernutrition, low education and daughters' early marriage and reproduction. Future interventions should target maternal and child human capital. Increasing education and delaying girls' marriage may lead to sustained intergenerational improvements across Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 5, relating to poverty, hunger, health, education and gender equality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-557165d2e1074b90b3377d8835dd5cb7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5059 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Global Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-557165d2e1074b90b3377d8835dd5cb72025-01-20T07:20:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Global Women's Health2673-50592025-01-01510.3389/fgwh.2024.11746461174646Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition StudyAkanksha A. Marphatia0Akanksha A. Marphatia1Jonathan C. K. Wells2Alice M. Reid3Aboli Bhalerao4Chittaranjan S. Yajnik5Population, Policy and Practice Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United KingdomDepartment of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomPopulation, Policy and Practice Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United KingdomDepartment of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomDiabetes Unit, King Edwards Memorial Hospital Research Centre, Pune, IndiaDiabetes Unit, King Edwards Memorial Hospital Research Centre, Pune, IndiaIntroductionMaternal nutrition promotes maternal and child health. However, most interventions to address undernutrition are only implemented once pregnancy is known, and cannot address broader risk factors preceding conception. Poverty and socio-economic status are considered systemic risk factors, but both economic growth and cash transfers have had limited success improving undernutrition. Another generic risk factor is low human capital, referring to inadequate skills, knowledge and autonomy, and represented by traits such as low educational attainment and women's early marriage. Few studies have evaluated whether maternal human and socio-economic capital at conception are independently associated with maternal and offspring outcomes.MethodsUsing data on 651 mother-child dyads from the prospective Pune Maternal Nutrition Study in rural India, composite markers were generated of “maternal human capital” using maternal marriage age and maternal and husband's education, and 'socio-economic capital' using household wealth and caste. Linear and logistic regression models investigated associations of maternal low/mid human capital, relative to high capital, with her own nutrition and offspring size at birth, postnatal growth, education, age at marriage and reproduction, and cardiometabolic risk at 18 years. Models controlled for socio-economic capital, maternal age and parity.ResultsIndependent of socio-economic capital, and relative to high maternal human capital, low human capital was associated with shorter maternal stature, lower adiposity and folate deficiency but higher vitamin B12 status. In offspring, low maternal human capital was reflected in shorter gestation, smaller birth head girth, being breastfed for longer, poor postnatal growth, less schooling, lower fat mass and insulin secretion at 18 years. Daughters married and had children at an early age.DiscussionSeparating maternal human and socio-economic capital is important for identifying the aspects which are most relevant for future interventions. Low maternal human capital, independent of socio-economic capital, was a systemic risk factor contributing to an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage, perpetuated through undernutrition, low education and daughters' early marriage and reproduction. Future interventions should target maternal and child human capital. Increasing education and delaying girls' marriage may lead to sustained intergenerational improvements across Sustainable Development Goals 1 to 5, relating to poverty, hunger, health, education and gender equality.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2024.1174646/fullmaternal and child undernutritionlow educationearly marriageinfant and child growthhuman capitalwealth |
| spellingShingle | Akanksha A. Marphatia Akanksha A. Marphatia Jonathan C. K. Wells Alice M. Reid Aboli Bhalerao Chittaranjan S. Yajnik Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study Frontiers in Global Women's Health maternal and child undernutrition low education early marriage infant and child growth human capital wealth |
| title | Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study |
| title_full | Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study |
| title_fullStr | Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study |
| title_short | Like mother like daughter, the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study |
| title_sort | like mother like daughter the role of low human capital in intergenerational cycles of disadvantage the pune maternal nutrition study |
| topic | maternal and child undernutrition low education early marriage infant and child growth human capital wealth |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2024.1174646/full |
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