Children of teen mothers in India more likely to have stunted growth

Children born to teenage mothers in India are of lower-than-average height, weight, and overall proportions due to factors that place the mother at a disadvantage, according to a new study. Here’s what else you need to know:

• The design: Researchers looked at more than 60,000 first-time mothers in India, roughly 14,000 of whom were adolescents.  
• The findings: Adolescent mothers were shorter, less educated, and underweight compared to adult mothers in the study group. They also were poorer. Taken together, the various factors that adolescent mothers experienced meant an 11% higher prevalence of stunting in children born to them versus to adults.
• The takeaway: “Policies and programmes to delay childbearing have the potential to help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and undernutrition,” the authors write.