This document discusses a study examining the relationship between political marginalization and childhood health. The study analyzes policies in Palestine and Brazil to demonstrate how political exclusion correlates with deteriorating childhood nutrition and health. Specifically, it finds that denying marginalized groups access to basic needs like food and healthcare creates nutritional deficiencies in children. Political marginalization is shown to indirectly impact overall health conditions through restricting access to necessities.

1. The
Effects
of
Poli/cal
Marginaliza/on
on
Childhood
Health
Minna
Sabbahi¹,2,
Daniel
Hoffman,
PhD²
¹Department
Poli/cal
Science,
²Department
of
Nutri/onal
Science,
Rutgers
University,
New
Brunswick,
NJ
Abstract
Discussion
Objec1ves
&
Methodology
• To
conduct
content
analysis
and
historical
studies
of
poli/cal
and
health
policies
of
Pales/ne
and
Brazil
• To
demonstrate
the
correla/on
between
poli/cal
marginaliza/on
and
deteriora/ng
childhood
health
• To
closely
examine
sta/s/cal
data
on
weight
regula/ons
and
func/ons
Future
Direc1ons
Future
work
must
be
done
to
study
the
efficacy
and
response
of
interna/onal
policies
to
the
health
statuses
of
marginalized
people.
In
doing
so,
this
research
will
further
develop
our
understanding
of
the
rela/onship
between
nutri/on
and
food
policy.
Introduc1on
Acknowledgements
This
research
is
funded
in
part
by
the
Ronald
E.
McNair
Post
Baccalaureate
Achievement
Program
at
Rutgers
University.
A
special
thanks
is
given
to
Dr.
Daniel
Hoffman
and
to
the
McNair
advisors
and
staff.
Pales/nians
face
numerous
health
complica/ons,
due
to
the
policies
and
blockades
established
by
the
Israeli
government.
Such
policies
prevent
basic
needs
from
being
within
civilians’
reach.
Similarly,
in
Brazil,
the
favela,
more
commonly
known
as
slums
or
shantytowns,
are
constantly
barred
from
the
poli/cal
realm
because
of
racial
and
socioeconomic
bigotries,
in
turn
worsening
the
quality
of
childhood
health.
Poli/cal
Marginaliza/on-­‐
a
process
in
which
individuals
are
deliberately
blocked
from
enjoying
the
rights
of
full
ci/zenship
and
social
privileges
that
include
the
rights
to
basic
economic
and
social
welfare
as
well
as
par/cipa/on
in
society,
including
work
opportuni/es,
educa/on,
and
fulfillment
of
basic
needs
in
terms
of
access
to
medical
aid
and
food
supplies¹
References
¹Giacaman,
R.
(2001).
A
community
of
ci/zens:
disability
rehabilita/on
in
the
Pales/nian
transi/on
to
statehood.
Disability
&
Rehabilita.on,
23(14),
639-­‐644.
doi:10.1080/09638280110036544
²Sawaya,
A.
L.,
Mar/ns,
P.
A.,
Grillo,
L.
P.,
&
Florêncio,
T.
T.
(2004).
Long-­‐
term
effects
of
early
malnutri/on
on
body
weight
regula/on.
Nutri.on
Reviews,
62(7),
127-­‐133.
doi:10.1301/nr.2004.jul.S127-­‐S133
³Rahim,
H.
F.
A.,
Wick,
L.,
Halileh,
S.,
Hassan-­‐Bitar,
S.,
Chekir,
H.,
Waj,
G.,
&
Khawaja,
M.
(2009).
Maternal
and
child
health
in
the
occupied
Pales/nian
territory.
The
Lancet,
373(9667),
967-­‐977.
doi:10.1016/
S0140-­‐6736(09)60108-­‐2
⁴Devi,
S.
(2004).
Health
under
fire.
Lancet,
364(9439),
1027-­‐1028.
5Perlman,
J.
E.
(2010).
Favela
:
Four
decades
of
living
on
the
edge
in
Rio
de
Janeiro.
Oxford;
New
York:
Oxford
University
Press.
Table
1:
Nutri1onal
Deficiencies
in
Favela²
Physical
and
Psychosocial
Barriers
Poli1cal
Marginaliza1on
Denial
of
Access
to
Basic
Needs
Nutri1onal
Status
Mental
and
Physical
health
Social
Instability
Further
Exclusion
Poli1cal
Marginaliza1on
Poor
Childhood
Health
Poli/cal
marginaliza/on
indirectly
affects
the
totality
of
health
condi/ons
of
those
ostracized.
The
exclusion
of
groups
from
the
poli/cal
process
leads
to
the
denial
of
access
for
basic
needs,
such
as
medical
aid
and
food
supplies.
Consequently,
this
may
create
nutri/onal
deficiencies
in
children.
Demographic
characteris/cs
indicate
which
group
are
excluded
and
for
what
purposes.
This
study
aims
to
offer
familiarity
in
the
coexistence
between
poli/cal
marginaliza/on
and
childhood
health
by
assessing
Pales/ne
and
Brazil
as
two
separate
case
studies.
Through
these
findings,
this
study
will
show
the
universality
of
marginaliza/on
and
the
causal
pathway
to
poor
childhood
health,
a
factor
that
limits
overall
health
and
long
term
social
and
mental
development.
Figure
1:
Stun1ng
in
children
younger
than
5
years
in
the
occupied
Pales1nian
territory
by
year
and
region³
Data
from
Pales/nian
Central
bureau
of
Sta/s/cs.
Stun/ng
(height-­‐for-­‐age
index)
was
determined
by
use
of
the
interna/onal
reference
popula/on
defined
by
the
US
Na/onal
Center
for
Disease
Control
and
Preven/on.
Children
who
were
below
–2
SD
from
the
reference
median
were
classified
as
stunted,
and
those
who
were
below
–3
SD
from
the
reference
median
were
classified
as
severely
stunted
The
analy/cal
concept
of
marginaliza/on,
although
applied
differently
around
the
world,
has
a
global
relevance.
Any
group
of
individuals,
regardless
of
where
they
are
situated,
once
marginalized,
face
various
repercussions.
The
most
prominent
is
childhood
health,
as
demonstrated
by
the
two
separate
case
studies
of
Pales/ne
and
Brazil.
Both
Brazilians
and
Pales/nians
deal
with
the
widespread
problem
of
malnourishment,
par/cularly
stun/ng,
which
predisposes
those
children
to
long
term
health
effects
leading
into
adulthood.
The
grave
effects
on
childhood
health
then
trickle
down
into
social
instability,
violence,
poor
mental
and
physical
health,
which
diminishes
the
quality
of
life
for
those
ci/zens.
Figure
2:
Marginaliza1on
Cycle
Nutri/onal
Status
of
Children
Under
10
Living
in
a
Slum
in
Maceio,
Alagoas,
Brazil,
According
to
Standard
Devia/ons
of
Weight-­‐for-­‐age
and
Height-­‐for-­‐age
as
Compared
to
the
NCHS
Distribu/on
Results
Pales1ne
Checkpoints
Blockades
Sejlements
Lack
of
funding
Ongoing
conflict
Brazil
Inequality
Discrimina/on
Violence
Misuse
of
power
Disenchantment
à
voluntary
isola/on5
“A
Refugee
Diary”
By:
Najwa
Sheikh,
6/3/12
“Majority
of
Gazans
are
now
dependant
on
welfare
and
humanitarian
organisations
for
food
supplies.
If
any
of
these
organisations
were
to
experience
a
sudden
funding
crisis,
many
Gazan
families
would
find
themselves
begging
on
the
streets.”
(UNRWA)