Estimating the interactions between household food security and preschool diarrhea

How important are the interactions between household food security and pres chooler diarrhea in the determination of preschooler nutrition status? Usin g survey data from a number of developing countries this paper provides evi dence that the interactions are important: increases in household food secu rity have a larger marginal impact on preschooler nutrition status at highe r diarrheal levels. Conversely, inceases in diarrhea levels at low energy l evels have a larger negative incremental effect on preschooler nutrition st atus than at high energy levels. The implications of these results are disc ussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.