Two thirds of world’s children at risk of malnutrition – UNICEF

Fri, Oct 25, 2019
By publisher
4 MIN READ

Featured, Women

By Anayo Ezugwu

THE United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has raised alarm that one third of children under age five are malnourished – stunted, wasted or overweight. UNICEF also said that two thirds of children are at risk of malnutrition and hidden hunger because of the poor quality of their diets.

The United Nations agency said despite progress in the past two decades, there were still millions of malnourished children across the world. UNICEF in its State of the World’s Children 2019 report titled ‘The Changing Face of Malnutrition,’ said while the number of stunted children is falling in every continent except Africa, overweight and obesity are growing in every continent, including Africa, and at a much faster rate.

The report stated that globally, at least half of all children under five suffer from hidden hunger: a lack of essential nutrients that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. According to the report, 149 million children are stunted, or too short for their age, 50 million children are wasted or too thin for their height, 340 million children – or 1 in 2 – suffer from deficiencies in essential vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin A and iron and 40 million children are overweight or obese.

“In many countries, and even within households, these three forms of malnutrition – under-nutrition, hidden hunger and overweight – co-exist. This means that a single country may face the challenge of addressing high rates of stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, and obesity. Or a family may have an overweight mother and a stunted child.

“These trends reflect what is known as the triple burden of malnutrition, a burden that threatens the survival, growth and development of children, economies and societies. This burden is only expected to grow. Strikingly, not a single country has made progress in decreasing levels of overweight and obesity in the past 20 years.

“Over the past several decades, societies have evolved. We are more connected than ever before through global trade markets. More people are moving from rural areas into densely populated cities. More women are thriving in the workforce, while still raising families.

“And climate change is putting increased pressure on how we live and use natural resources. Our brave new world has had a profound impact on how food is produced, what food we have access to, and ultimately, what we eat,” it said.

The report stated that globalisation has changed the way people eat. It has rapidly transformed the systems that bring food from field to families, affecting everything from how food is harvested to how it is displayed in supermarkets. Communities around the world now have access to greater quantities and a wider variety of foods.

But with globalisation and trade has come an expanded market for junk food and fast foods – as well as extensive food marketing directed at children. As supermarkets, convenience stores and fast food chains become ubiquitous, families and communities are leaving behind their traditional, often healthier diets, in favour of modern diets often full of processed foods high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium and low in essential nutrients and fibre.

Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Urbanisation has caused a rapid shift in diet and lifestyle, with more ultra-processed foods and less physical activity. The result is a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among city dwellers, as well as higher rates of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

“By 2050, 70 percent of the world’s adolescents will live in cities, more exposed to the marketing of unhealthy foods and more vulnerable to diet-related diseases than ever before. More and more women are joining the job market, making up nearly 40 percent of the world’s formal labour force.

“Yet, almost everywhere, mothers remain responsible for most child feeding and care. They often receive little support from families, employers or society at large. This leaves too many mothers to face the impossible choice of feeding their children well or earning a steady income.

“Extreme weather events like floods, storms, droughts and extreme heat have collectively doubled since 1990, and children are disproportionately affected. They are the most susceptible to waterborne diseases, which increase their risk of malnutrition and death.”

– Oct. 25, 2019 @ 17:19 GMT |

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