Journal of Nutrition & Weight Loss

Impact of Malnutrition on Economic Development

AL Holmes^* Department of Nutrition and Food, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
^*Correspondence: AL Holmes, Department of Nutrition and Food, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, Email:

Received: 08-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. JNWL-22-16244; Editor assigned: 11-Mar-2022, Pre QC No. JNWL-22-16244 (PQ); Reviewed: 25-Mar-2022, QC No. JNWL-22-16244; Revised: 01-Apr-2022, Manuscript No. JNWL-22-16244 (R); Published: 08-Apr-2022, DOI: 10.35248/2593-9793.22.7.133

Description

Adequate nutrition is key to an active and healthy life. Despite its importance as a determinant of health and development, under nutrition remains an underappreciated and neglected area undertaken to address its causes and severe social and economic impacts. However, recently, there has been growing interest in nutrition with stronger political participation at the level national and international levels lead to significant political and financial commitments. The important thing now is to turn this momentum into results by ensuring delivery promise and accelerate progress to address the challenge of under nutrition.

Globally, under nutrition is the leading cause of death among children less than 5 years of age. Causes 3.1 million child deaths each year (45% of all deaths under 5 years of age). 3 in 2013, 52 million children under the age of 5 (10% of the world's population) suffered from malnutrition, this means that due to acute malnutrition, the children are underweight for their height. Other 165 million children around the world, a quarter of the world's population under the age of five, are too young to the child's age or stunted growth, which can affect the child's physical and mental development. While under nutrition is a major problem in sub-Saharan Africa, excessive calorie intake or overeating (obesity) severely affects many people in the Caribbean and Pacific Region. Chronic non-communicable diseases, many of which are linked to poor nutrition, now represent 57% of deaths in the Caribbean.

Malnutrition is one of the common problems facing the poor in low-and middle-income countries like Uganda. The rate of malnutrition reduction in the whole country has been very slow over the past 15 years. This is a matter of extreme concern in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where their achievement is imperative. The aim of our study was to review the literature on the prevalence and socioeconomic impacts of under nutrition in children under 5 years of age in Uganda and make recommendations to address gaps that have been identified. This review assessed the available evidence, including peer-reviewed articles, country reports, World Health Organization (WHO) reports, International Children's Emergencies Fund reports. United Nations (UNICEF) and other reports on issues related to child malnutrition in Uganda. Malnutrition, poverty, and chronic disease are interrelated in such a way that each factor affects the presence and existence of the other, resulting in a synergistic effect.

Besides under nutrition, malnutrition also includes a diet lacking in micronutrients, overweight and obesity. Chronic malnutrition can have serious, often fatal health consequences, especially in children.

• Under nutrition can cause stunted physical and cognitive growth and make children more susceptible to infectious diseases.

• Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to serious diseases and physical impairment, including anaemia, mental retardation, blindness, and birth defects of the spine and brain.

• Being overweight and obese increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, cancer, joint problems, and gallbladder problems.

The immediate cause of malnutrition is due to inadequate food intake (in terms of quantity or quality) and illness. However, under nutrition is influenced by a multitude of underlying factors related to poverty, including food insecurity, lack of water, sanitation and health services, find their origins in factors that can range from conflict to climate change; rare naturalness resources with high and unstable food prices; from poor governance to population growth.

The long-standing Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program aims to prevent acute malnutrition through inhome counselling for pregnant women, monthly in-home counselling for caregivers less than six months to promote appropriate feeding practices, monthly growth monitoring for all infants aged 0-3 years. , and raise public awareness and capacity building of Anganwadi workers. Infants under six months of age must also be monitored for vaccinations.