{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T18:24:13Z","timestamp":1787250253939,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787184000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Child malnutrition remains a global crisis, exacerbated in border regions by Myanmar\u2019s post-2021 conflict. This study utilized Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the pathways linking household food insecurity (HFI) to undernutrition among migrant children along the Thailand\u2013Myanmar border. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 384 mothers in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces with children aged 6\u201359 months. Data were collected via multistage sampling, face-to-face interviews, and anthropometric assessments. HFI was measured using the HFIAS scale. Undernutrition affected 37.0% of children, with specific prevalence for stunting (18.0%), wasting (19.8%), and underweight (18.5%). HFI was prevalent in 63.8% of households and served as a central structural mediator; notably, nearly 40% of stunted children resided in severely food-insecure households. SEM results indicated that higher socio-economic status (SES) consistently improved HAZ (\u03b2\u2009=\u20090.230, p\u2009&lt;\u2009.001) and WAZ (\u03b2\u2009=\u20090.294, p\u2009&lt;\u2009.001). Improved water availability, safe sanitation, and higher SES were strong predictors of better HFI status across all models (\u03b2 ranging from 0.127 to 0.318, p\u2009&lt;\u2009.023). Conversely, a higher number of children under five in the household negatively impacted food security (\u03b2 ranging from -0.155 to -0.159, p\u2009&lt;\u2009.003). This improved HFI status directly enhanced dietary diversity (\u03b2\u2009=\u20090.183, p\u2009=\u2009.001) and HAZ (\u03b2\u2009=\u20090.113, p\u2009=\u2009.033). Regarding acute outcomes, fever (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009-0.147, p\u2009=\u2009.008) and diarrhea (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009-0.131, p\u2009=\u2009.049) significantly reduced WHZ, while respiratory infections (\u03b2\u2009=\u2009-0.144, p\u2009=\u2009.014) negatively influenced WAZ. Addressing undernutrition in this migrant population requires integrated multi-sectoral interventions. Strategies must prioritize economic stability and HFI mitigation to address chronic growth failure, alongside WASH infrastructure and rapid illness response to mitigate acute and composite nutritional deficits through a synergistic, cross-sectoral approach.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0006516","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T17:29:38Z","timestamp":1787246978000},"page":"e0006516","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pathways linking household food insecurity to undernutrition among under 5 children in migrant populations along the Thailand-Myanmar border: A Structural Equation Modeling approach"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Saw Min","family":"Than","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thunwadee","family":"Suksaroj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Piyapong","family":"Janmaimool","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1799-422X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Cheerawit","family":"Rattanapan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"pgph.0006516.ref001","volume-title":"The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 \u2013 Financing to End Hunger, Food Insecurity and Malnutrition in All Its Forms","author":"FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO","year":"2024"},{"key":"pgph.0006516.ref002","volume-title":"Malnutrition","author":"World Health 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