Babies born to short women die sooner

Children born to shorter women are more likely to die before age 5, indicating that maternal height influences the child's health. Over two million children younger than five have died in India in 2006; this rate is higher than any other country in the world. The under-5 mortality rate is a leading indicator of the level of child health and overall development in countries. According to a study published in The JAMA, children of women shorter than 145 centimeters are 70 percent more likely to die by the age of five. Maternal height is influenced by the environment one grows up in; it can therefore reveal a woman's overall health and nutritional status during her childhood. It can also impose long-lasting adverse effects on the health conditions of her offspring 15 to 30 years later. Shorter women who have smaller uteruses are more prone to developing complications during pregnancy. "Our findings suggest the presence of inter-generational transfer of poor health from mother to offspring," said Subramanian, the leader of the research team. Scientists concluded that authorities should invest more in the health condition of girls as they guarantee the wellbeing of the children of the future.