title: Effects of food price inflation on infant and child mortality in developing countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After a historic low level in the early 2000s, global food prices surged upwards to bring about the global food crisis of 2008. High and increasing food prices can generate an immediate threat to the security of a household's food supply, thereby undermining population health. This paper aims to assess the precise effects of food price inflation on child health in developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper employs a panel dataset covering 95 developing countries for the period 2001-2011 to make a comprehensive assessment of the effects of food price inflation on child health as measured in terms of infant mortality rate and child mortality rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Focusing on any departure of health indicators from their respective trends, we find that rising food prices have a significant detrimental effect on nourishment and consequently lead to higher levels of both infant and child mortality in developing countries, and especially in least developed countries (LDCs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High food price inflation rates are also found to cause an increase in undernourishment only in LDCs and thus leading to an increase in infant and child mortality in these poorest countries. This result is consistent with the observation that, in lower-income countries, food has a higher share in household expenditures and LDCs are likely to be net food importing countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hence, there should be increased efforts by both LDC governments and the international community to alleviate the detrimental link between food price inflation and undernourishment and also the link between undernourishment and infant mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Trade and Business, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 200-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Hoon
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Field of Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Suejin A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Resource Economics, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701, Republic of Korea. jylimecon@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jae-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Economics and Research Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong, 1550, The Philippines.
authors.forename: Cyn-Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D003132:Commerce; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D017059:Models, Econometric; D011203:Poverty; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Child mortality; Food prices; Food security; Infant mortality; Undernourishment