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Malnutrition Malnutrition remains one of the most serious health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean region. A significant proportion of children are undernourished and over a third of the population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies. Malnutrition is a major contributor to the total global disease burden. More than one third of child deaths worldwide are attributed to undernutrition. Poverty is a central cause of undernutrition. Facts on malnutrition
Wasting is a severe form of malnutrition - resulting from acute food shortages and compounded by illness. About 1.5 million children die annually due to wasting. Rising food prices, food scarcity in areas of conflict, and natural disasters diminish household access to appropriate and adequate food, all of which can lead to wasting. Wasting demands emergency nutritional interventions to save lives. Hidden hunger is a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, which are vital to boost immunity and healthy development. Vitamin A, zinc, iron and iodine deficiencies are primary public health concerns. About 2 billion people are affected by iodine deficiencies worldwide; and vitamin A is associated with more than half a million deaths of under-five children globally each year.
Prevalence of
malnutrition in children under 5 years in the Eastern
Mediterranean Region Articles from the Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region Articles from the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal
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A key indicator of chronic malnutrition
is stunting - when children are too short for their age
group compared to the WHO child growth standards. About
178 million children globally are stunted, resulting
from not enough food, a vitamin- and mineral-poor diet,
and disease. As growth slows down, brain development
lags and stunted children learn poorly. Stunting rates
among children are highest in Africa and Asia. In
south-central Asia 41% are affected.