UNICEF: Undernutrition Leads to Intergenerational Cycle of Ill-Health and Poverty

category: Hunger

Published November 12, 2009 @ 03:38PM PT

Hunger statistics are always big, but it's hearing the impact that puts those numbers into perspective. This is more than hunger, this is undernutrition leading to "an intergenerational cycle of ill-health and poverty," explains Ann M. Veneman UNICEF Executive Director.

200 million children under five experience stunted growth due to chronic undernutrition explains a UNICEF report released this week. The report explains that a third of deaths in children under five are linked with poor diet. Worse, malnutrition is often invisible until it becomes severe — children may seem healthy when in fact they can be at serious risk. The first 1,000 days of a child's life are cruicial for development, with nutritional deficiencies cutting a child's ability to fight disease, as well as impairing social and mental capacties.

But we have responses to undernutrition: exclusive breastfeeding for the first six-months and nutritional adequate food from then can cut child mortality by 20 per cent. Suppling micronutrients is further improving things and “Global commitments on food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture are part of a wider agenda that will help address the critical issues raised in this report,” explained Veneman. Solutions exist to reduce undernutrition in Asia and Africa, the rest of the world just needs to recognize the value in doing as much as they can to help the world's youngest and neediest.

Photo credit: © UNICEF/BANA2007-0055/Siddique

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