Malnutrition and undernutrition are common problems in the developing world. In the Marshall Islands adult obesity is also common. This proposal studies a striking situation, of undernutrition and stunting in Marshallese children while adults in the same households are obese. The focus of the study by a cultural anthropologist from Johns Hopkins University will be the intrahousehold food allocation patterns in a sample of Marshallese households. Using a combination of methods including macro-level analysis of structural factors such as remittance payments as well as micro-level ethnographic analysis of individual behavior in households, comparing households across a range of socioeconomic class statuses, the study will focus on completing a previously-studied sample of households ranging from urban, peri-urban, semi-remote, and remote locations; conduct ethnographic research on key concepts of nutrition, health, child growth, activity patterns and food distribution, and a structured interview of 260 households. The study will combine theory from ecology, ethnomedicine, and medical anthropology to determine the causes of variation in intra-household food allocation. The new knowledge to be created will advance our general understanding of household decision-making and resource allocation in this context and will be useful to health planners concerned about child health in the developing world.
