Undernutrition in children

Malnutrition in children
Malnutrition due to soil transmitted helminth infections in school-age children in Guimaras Island, Philippines
SymptomsStunted growth, underweight, wasting[1]
Deaths1 million a year[2]

Undernutrition in children, occurs when children do not consume enough calories, protein, or micronutrients to maintain good health.[3][4] It is common globally and may result in both short and long term irreversible adverse health outcomes. Undernutrition is sometimes used synonymously with malnutrition, however, malnutrition could mean both undernutrition or overnutrition (causing childhood obesity). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malnutrition accounts for 54 percent of child mortality worldwide,[5] which is about 1 million children.[2] Another estimate, also by WHO, states that childhood underweight is the cause for about 35% of all deaths of children under the age of five worldwide.[6]

The main causes of malnutrition are often related to poverty: unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene, factors related to society, diseases, maternal factors, gender issues as well as other factors.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wagstaff 1999 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ENJM013113 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Young, E.M. (2012). Food and development. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp. 36–38. ISBN 9781135999414.
  4. ^ Essentials of International Health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 2011. p. 194. ISBN 9781449667719.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nutrition in pediatrics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Prüss-Üstün, A., Bos, R., Gore, F., Bartram, J. (2008). Safer water, better health – Costs, benefits and sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health. World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland

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