Fighting Malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs if a person does not have access to sufficient food or the right amount of nutrients. Anyone can be malnourished, but young children under five years are at a higher risk than adults. In most developed nations like the UK, the most obvious form of malnutrition is overweight and obesity. In poor and underdeveloped countries, mainly sub-Saharan Africa, malnourished children are underweight because of lack of enough and quality food.
According to WHO, acute malnutrition constitutes very low weight for height, visible and severe wasting, or the apparent presence of nutritional edema. WHO also estimates that malnourishment, directly or indirectly, accounts for up to 35% of children who die below the age of five. Being malnourished lowers the immunity of the child, making them highly susceptible to a plethora of infections. While most children die from opportunistic infectious diseases such as malaria and respiratory infections, it is deeply unknown is that most of them are also and often severely malnourished at the time of death.
As a result, more attention is directed toward treating infectious diseases and not addressing malnutrition. Malnourished children are more likely to catch an infection compared to well-nourished children. Once they become sick, the body does not have the immunity necessary to fight off the infections. Malnutrition is also the biggest barrier to the effectiveness of the medications administered. All the treatment programs focused on managing HIV and malaria and Tuberculosis will not be very successful if malnutrition is not addressed. Ensuring that children are well-nourished raises immunity increasing their ability of the body to resist and fight off infections that often reoccur during development.
Good nutrition is the foundation of a child’s health and development. And the fact that malnutrition is still a major challenge to many nations is a bleak reminder of just how much should be done to help populations who cannot access healthy daily meals. Surprisingly, while millions of people face malnutrition, tons of food also goes to waste each year. The fight against malnutrition requires joint efforts from governments, organizations, and members of the community.
Governments in developing countries have increased the financial spending directed towards fighting malnutrition. In the United States, the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) financial commitment of US $19.6 billion has been achieved. Other initiatives have also been developed, and more are underway. The UNICEF has also played a key role in the fight against malnutrition by promoting breastfeeding, nutritious foods for little children, and micronutrients during the first one thousand days of a child’s life. This has significantly lowered malnutrition cases among young kids by almost one hundred million in the past two decades worldwide. Nutrition programs have been made to incorporate school lunches for school going children who cannot access meals at home. Efforts have also been extended to helping farmers diversify their methods to include more nutritious foods and stop depending on one of a few types of crops.
Ahmed, Shakeel. “Fight against Childhood Malnutrition-A Must Win Battle.” Journal of Bahria University Medical & Dental College (2018): 132.
Klek, Stanislaw, Michael Chourdakis, Stephan Bischoff, Sergiej Dubrov, Alastair Forbes, Aleksander Galas, Laurence Genton et al. “Economy matters to fight against malnutrition: Results from a multicenter survey.” Clinical Nutrition 36, no. 1 (2017): 162-169.
Ostrowska, Joanna, and Anna Jeznach-Steinhagen. “Fight against malnutrition (FAM): selected results of 2006-2012 nutrition day survey in Poland.” Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny 67, no. 3 (2016).

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