This study was based on two independent studies which in total consisted of 1812 school pupils aged 6–12 years in Saudi Arabia. Study I consisted of 1591 school pupils (609 boys and 982 girls) attending state schools, and Study II consisted of 211 boys with learning disabilities. Intelligence (measured using the Standard Progressive Matrices Plus for Study I and the Standard Progressive Matrices for Study II), head size and height were measured for the two samples. The results showed that intelligence was statistically significantly correlated with head circumference (r=0.350, p<0.001 for Study I and r=0.168, p<0.05 for Study II) and height (r=0.271, p<0.001 for Study I and r=0.178, p<0.05 for Study II).

Portugal has one of the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. However, little is known about the health of ethnic minorities living in its capital city, Lisbon. The Cape Verdean community in Lisbon tend to have low educational levels, material deprivation and struggle with discrimination and racism, factors that would probably be associated with a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. Data for the Cape Verdean population were collected in three different time periods by three different research teams in 1993, 2009 and 2013 and included children aged 6–12 years living in the Cova da Moura neighbourhood of the Greater Lisbon Metro Area. The Portuguese national survey was conducted between 2009 and 2010 at public and private schools in mainland Portugal and included height, weight, skinfolds and arm and waist circumferences. From these survey data body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of stunting (chronic malnutrition – low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age) were calculated according to reference values proposed by Frisancho (2008). Overweight and obesity prevalence values were defined based on the references established by the International Obesity Task Force. The results show significant differences in height between Cape Verdean and Portuguese boys and girls. Generally, Cape Verdeans’ growth falls within the healthy range of international growth references across all of the survey data collected. Cape Verdean rates for combined overnutrition (overweight and obesity) in 2013 (9.8% for boys and 16.7% for girls) were lower than those of the Portuguese (33% for boys and 31.7% for girls). Logistic regression models showed that Cape Verdean children had a lower risk of being overweight or obese when accounting for breast-feeding, birth weight, maternal education and occupation. Despite living in a deprived neighbourhood these Cape Verdean children seemed to have grown more healthily than Portuguese ancestry children. The challenge for policymakers will be to support improvement of the poverty-related living conditions of this community without creating a risky environment for increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Using data from India’s first (1992–93) and third (2005–06) National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-I and NFHS-III) this study examined the fertility differentials between major social groups and the extent to which these varied between states and over time. The analysis was based on a sample of 54,030 and 55,369 currently married women aged 15–34 in the NFHS-I and NFHS-III respectively. Reported parity and desired family size were used to assess variations in fertility behaviour. The results show that interstate variation in childbearing patterns within social groups was at least as high as, if not higher than, variation between states (net of other influences) in both periods, 1992–93 and 2005–06. The variations among Hindus, the poor and Muslims were more noticeable than for other groups. These variations did not decline between 1992–93 and 2005–06 and may have even increased slightly for some groups. Further, there was no consistent north–south divide in either fertility behaviour or desired family size. Together, these results may point to the gradual disappearance of the influences that were once unique to southern or northern India, and the simultaneous emergence of social, political, economic and cultural forces that are pan-Indian in their reach.

This study examined the effect of reproductive and child health (RCH) services on fertility and child mortality in the districts of Uttar Pradesh. It specifically measured the effect of antenatal care, medical assistance at birth, child immunization and use of modern methods of contraception on Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Under-five Morality Rate (U5MR) before and after the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) period. Data from the 2002–04 District Level Household Survey (DLHS-2), 2012–13 Annual Health Survey (AHS) and the 2001 and 2011 Censuses of India were used. The TFR and U5MR were estimated from the Census of India with district as the unit of analysis. Descriptive statistics, composite indices, random- and fixed-effects models and difference-in-difference models were used to understand the effect of RCH services on the reduction in TFR, IMR and the U5MR. The results suggest large inter-district variations in the coverage of RCH services in the state. During the post-NRHM period, improvement was highest in safe delivery followed by immunization coverage and antenatal care and least for contraceptive use in most districts. The relative ranking of districts has not changed much over time. In 2002–04, the RCH Index was highest in Lucknow (0.442) followed by Ballia and least in Kaushambi (0.115). By 2012–13, it was highest in Jhansi (0.741) and lowest in Shrawasti (0.241). The districts of Kaushambi, Unnao, Mahoba, Banda and Hardoi performed better in the RCH Index over time, while Ballia, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Pratapgarh and Sonbhadra remained poor. The RCH service coverage and demographic outcomes were poor in seven districts, particularly those in eastern and western Uttar Pradesh. The regression analyses suggest that the RCH Index exerts greater influence on the reduction in IMR and U5MR, while female literacy exerts greater influence on the reduction in TFR. The results of the hybrid model suggest that a 10% change in RCH Index would lead to a 3 point decline in IMR, and a 10% increase in female literacy would lead to a 0.2 point decline in TFR. The study suggests continuing investment in female education and RCH services with a greater focus on poor-performing districts to realize demographic and health targets.

Under-five mortality remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Zimbabwe is one of the countries in the region that failed to achieve Millennium Developmental Goal 4 in 2015. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which maternal health-seeking behaviour prior to and during pregnancy and post-delivery influences the likelihood of under-five mortality among Zimbabwean children. The study was cross-sectional and data were extracted from the 2010/11 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS). The study sample comprised 5155 children who were born five years preceding the 2010/11 ZDHS to a sample of 4128 women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Cox Proportional Hazard regression modelling was used to examine the relationship between maternal health-seeking behaviour and under-five mortality. The results showed that maternal health-seeking behaviour factors are associated with the risk of dying during childhood. Children born to mothers who had ever used contraceptives (HR: 0.38, CI 0.28–0.51) had a lower risk of dying during childhood compared with children born to mothers who had never used any contraceptive method. The risk of under-five mortality among children who had a postnatal check-up within two months after birth (HR: 0.36, CI 0.23–0.56) was lower than that of children who did not receive postnatal care. Small birth size (HR: 1.70, CI 1.20–2.41) and higher birth order (2+) increased the risk of under-five mortality. Good maternal health-seeking behaviour practices at the three critical stages around childbirth have the potential to reduce under-five mortality. Therefore, public health programmes should focus on influencing health-seeking behaviour among women and removing obstacles to effective maternal health-seeking behaviour in Zimbabwe.