Nutrition , Malnutrition & Other Aspects

Nutrition is the process by which living organisms obtain and utilize the nutrients necessary for their growth, maintenance, and overall health.

Of the 181 million children living in severe child food poverty, about half (84 million, or 46 per cent) belong to households in the two poorest wealth quintiles, among whom income is likely to be a major driver of severe child food poverty.

The remaining 97 million children (54 per cent) living in severe child food poverty belong to households in the middle and two upper wealth quintiles, among whom factors other than income poverty are driving the problem.

It involves several key components:

1. Nutrients: These are substances that provide energy and materials for cell growth, maintenance, and repair. Nutrients are classified into six major categories:

• Carbohydrates: Provide energy.

• Proteins: Essential for growth, tissue repair, and immune function.

• Fats: Provide long-term energy, insulation, and protect organs.

• Vitamins: Required for various biochemical processes.

• Minerals: Important for bone health, nerve function, and other bodily functions.

• Water: Essential for hydration, digestion, and various bodily functions.

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of nutrients and energy

There are four main types of Undernutrition/Malnutrition:

Stunting is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition in-utero and early childhood. Children suffering from stunting may never reach their full possible height nor their full cognitive potential. Stunted children not only earn less as adults as a result of less schooling and learning difficulties when in school, but they are also more likely to be at risk of overweight and obesity than children of normal height.

Wasting is a life-threatening condition attributable to poor nutrient intake and/or disease. Characterized by a rapid deterioration in nutritional status over a short period of time, children suffering from wasting have weakened immunity, increasing their risk of death due to greater frequency and severity of common infection, particularly when severe.

Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition but the face of malnutrition, in all its forms, is rapidly changing, with childhood

overweight an escalating epidemic of global proportions. Overweight is the result of a growing number of children living in obesogenic environments with greater availability of processed foods and a more sedentary lifestyle

Causes:

• Poverty: Children in poor families may not have access to enough food or nutritious food.

• Lack of knowledge: Parents or caregivers may not know what foods are important for their children's health.

• Food insecurity: This can be caused by natural disasters, war, or other factors that disrupt the food supply.

• Illness: Children who are often sick may not be able to eat enough or absorb nutrients properly.

 Global Hunger Index (GHI)

GHI is typically published annually around October.

Here's what we know based on the 2023 report:

• It focuses on measuring and tracking hunger at the global, regional, and country levels.

• It uses four indicators:
  

• Severity of hunger (undernourishment)

• Child wasting (acute malnutrition)

• Child stunting (chronic malnutrition)

• Child mortality (under-five)

• Scores are categorized as:

• Low (< 9.9)

• Moderate (10 - 19.9)

• Serious (20 - 29.9)

• Severe (30 - 39.9)

• Alarming (>= 40)

Other Aspects:

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

SDG 2, one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015, aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. The key targets and components of SDG 2 include:

Key Targets

1.End Hunger:

• Ensure access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round for all people, particularly the poor and vulnerable, including infants.

2.End All Forms of Malnutrition:

• Address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons by 2025.

3.Double Agricultural Productivity and Incomes:

• Increase the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, and fishers through secure access to land, resources, knowledge, financial services, and markets.

1. Sustainable Food Production Systems:

• Implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, help maintain ecosystems, and strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters.

1. Maintain Genetic Diversity:

• Ensure the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals, and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional, and international levels.

Women’s nutrition

A woman’s nutritional status is a powerful barometer of her and her children’s well-being. 

A well-nourished woman tends to be healthier and has better cognitive abilities and physical strength that enable her to participate actively in family and public life. A well-nourished woman is also more likely to have well-nourished children. Unfortunately, many women worldwide face triple threats of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight. 30 per cent of women aged 15-49 have anaemia, 10 per cent of them suffer from underweight, and over 35 per cent of them are overweight, of which 13 per cent are living with obesity.

Child Nutrition Report 2024

High Food Poverty

Globally, approximately one in four children experience severe food poverty during early childhood, affecting around 181 million children under the age of five. According to the Child Nutrition Report 2024, over two-thirds of these children reside in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Twenty countries account for 65% of these cases, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen.

Non-Uniform Progress

Efforts to eliminate severe child food poverty are progressing slowly, though some regions and countries demonstrate that improvement is possible.

Major Drivers of Severe Child Food Poverty

1. Poor Food Environments for Children: Lack of access to nutritious food options.

2. Inadequate Feeding Practices: Suboptimal feeding practices in early childhood.

3. Household Income Poverty: Economic hardships impacting families and their ability to provide sufficient food.

4. Systemic Failures: Ineffective food, health, and social protection systems failing to ensure children's right to adequate nutrition.

Conflicts & Shocks

The global food and nutrition crisis, along with local conflicts and climate-related shocks, exacerbates severe child food poverty, particularly in fragile countries.

Source : UNICEF