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Building a better path: Strengthening health systems to reduce child malnutrition
Each year, global malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all deaths of children under the age of five, claiming a life every 11 seconds. According to UNICEF, millions of children could experience severe acute malnutrition, or wasting, due to the impacts of COVID-19, in addition to the 47 million currently suffering from the condition.
Different Forms of malnutrition
Stunting
Overweight
Wasting
Stunting refers to a child who is too short for his or her age. These children can suffer severe irreversible physical and cognitive damage that accompanies stunted growth. The devastating effects of stunting can last a lifetime and even affect the next generation.
Overweight refers to a child who is too heavy for his or her height. This form of malnutrition results from energy intakes from food and beverages that exceed children’s energy requirements. Overweight increases the risk of diet-related noncommunicable diseases later in life.
Wasting refers to a child who is too thin for his or her height. Wasting is the result of recent rapid weight loss or the failure to gain weight. A child who is moderately or severely wasted has an increased risk of death, but treatment is possible.
Source: UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Group
Malnutrition doesn’t just put children at a higher risk of dying: those who survive are also much more likely to suffer from lifelong illness and impaired cognitive development. The 1,000 day window between the start of a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday is a period of rapid cognitive development.
Compared to their well-nourished peers, malnourished children complete fewer years of school, earn less, are at a higher risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, and are more likely to give birth to malnourished babies, advancing an inter-generational cycle of poverty and deprivation. Today, one in four children in the world is permanently impaired by malnutrition.
What is malnutrition and undernutrition?
Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilization. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.
Globally, approximately 47.8 million children suffer from wasting — the deadliest form of malnutrition, when the body is so starved of nutrients it literally begins to consume itself.
Asia and Africa’s double burden: percentages of stunted, wasted and overweight children under five
In 2019, more than two thirds of all wasted children under 5 lived in Asia and more than one quarter lived in Africa.
In 2019, more than half of all stunted children under 5 lived in Asia and two out of five lived in Africa.
In 2019, almost half of all overweight children under 5 lived in Asia and one quarter lived in Africa.
Source: UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Group
Although the burden of malnutrition — specifically undernutrition — is significant, proven approaches to prevention and treatment exist.
Undernutrition amongst children under five
Asia
Global
Africa
Wasting & severe wasting
Stunting
Source: UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Group
While access to nutritious foods is essential, health systems often provide crucial nutritional support to vulnerable mothers and children. Four health systems interventions — known as the “Power 4” — are particularly important: prenatal vitamins, breastfeeding support, vitamin A supplementation, and emergency therapeutic food. This Power 4 package has been identified by the Lancet and the World Bank as among the most cost-effective and lifesaving nutrition interventions ready to be scaled today.