Impacts of food insecurity on child growth status: A scoping review

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Introduction: This review aimed to synthesis available evidence on the impact of food insecurity on child growth status. The Arksey and O’Malley framework served as the basis for developing this scoping review. Methods: A search strategy was conducted across three databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct). Studies published from January 2015 to September 2025 and written in English were included in this review. Articles with participants who lived in institutions or organisations that provided meals were excluded. Results: Based on the search strings used, 44 articles were identified for review. Articles that did not focus on impact of food insecurity on children’s growth status were excluded. Ultimately, 14 publications met inclusion criteria for this scoping review. Conclusion: This review provides an overview of how food insecurity affects child growth status. The findings demonstrated that household food insecurity (HFI) has persistent and detrimental effects on child growth and nutritional outcomes, with stunting being the most consistent consequence. In addition, the review provides insights into factors contributing to HFI, which may be helpful for informing future research, interventions, and other measures to address the issue.