Is Food the Answer to Malnutrition? - The Oxford Topic of Food, Politics, and Society - page 410

maintained by investments made in the current period, which, when combined with the
previous period's nutrition stock, generates current nutritional status:

f nf H

NNNZZCTEMBFHBS
it

= ( , , , , , , , , , )

(1)

it − 1 it it it it it it it it t

The time subscripts are intended to demonstrate the dynamic nature of nutrition out-
comes. In addition to the previous period's nutrition stock or status, an individual's cur-
rent nutrition is a function of the vector nutrient consumption from foods, Z i f ; nutrient
consumption from nonfood, for example, in the form of micronutrient supplementa-
tion programs such as the distribution of vitamin A capsules, Z i nf ; other consumption
goods, such as shelter and the general living/housing environment, C it ; time devoted
to the maintenance of health, T it H ; the education of person, E it (or her/his caregivers);
consumption of medical and related preventative health services, M it ; the duration/
intensity of breastfeeding (for children under 36 months) BF it ; a range of other health
behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and sex (generally for adults) HB it ;
and the sanitary environment, including water quality and access to latrine and toilets,
S t . Through backward recursion, current nutrition is, therefore, a function of all previ-
ous values of these inputs as well as the genetically determined initial endowment of
health and other physical attributes, η i .
Closely related to the production of nutrition, as represented in Equation (1), is the
production of the vector of nutrients, a key input into the nutrition production function:

ZZCETS
i

f

= (, ,

p

, , ) η

(2)

i mm i

In Equation (2), T P denotes the caregiver's time spent in home production, including
the preparation of food. Although nutrient production is primarily a function of food
consumption, the mother's skill or education level, time spent processing and prepar-
ing food, and food storage and sanitation facilities, captured by S, all affect her ability
to extract nutrients from raw food inputs. The food preparer's skills and time also enter
into nutrient production functions of other household members.4
As elaborated by Meyerhoefer and Sahn (2006), nutrition of household members is,
thus, the outcome of a series of behaviors and decisions that the household makes, given
a set of prices, assets, and community and individual endowments. These decisions
affect the range of inputs that affect nutrition, such as nutrients consumed from food, as
shown in Equation (2), or participation in programs such as vitamin A supplementation
as represented by Z nf . Although not shown, a series of other input demand functions, as
in Equation (2), apply to other parameters in the nutrition production function. Thus,
inputs such as the use of curative and preventative health care; levels of activity from
work and leisure; time inputs in terms of child care; health-related behaviors such as
decisions regarding smoking, alcohol consumption, and breastfeeding; and household
public goods such as shelter characteristics, water, and sanitary facilities are a function