On January 28, VIEWS hosted a virtual Brownbag seminar featuring a presentation on the working paper “Civilian Conflict and the Nutritional Status of Children: A Bayesian Analysis of Survey Data from Affected Populations in Africa.” The paper, authored by Thomas Jideofor Ogbu, Rebecca Louise Jones, and Debarati Guha-Sapir, examines the complex relationship between armed conflict and child malnutrition.

The research highlights that while conflict has long been associated with increased rates of child malnutrition, its impacts vary depending on the type and characteristics of the violence. By applying Bayesian analysis to survey data from conflict-affected populations across Africa, the study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of these effects—helping to inform more effective humanitarian responses and resource allocation strategies.

The study is part of VIEWS’ research project Societies at Risk.