Nutrition and population: the McKeown hypothesis in the Asia Pacific region

Thomas McKeown (1912—88) was best known for his interpretation of demographic trends. He concluded that improved nutrition played an important role in population growth. Following the publication of McKeown’s work on population his theories were widely criticised. This year (2013) the 25th anniversary of his death and it is appropriate to examine some of the developments in nutrition and public health that have occurred since his death that provide support for his theory.
The science of nutrition has made great advances since the McKeown began his work and we are now aware of the value of adequate nutrition in reducing rates of nutrition and infection. In the Asia Pacific region improvement in population nutritional status as shown by height, is paralleled by declines in child mortality and increases in life expectancy. This is illustrated by data from China, Korea, Japan and Australia where the decline in infant mortality and total mortality in Australia parallels the increase in height of the population. But population health is also influenced by a rise in chronic disease, which is due in part to poor nutrition in the first 1000 days of life interacting with changes in nutrition and lifestyle later in life.