Malnutrition in mothers and children in poorer countries

A series published by the “The Lancet“ magazine describes the causal links between the nutritional habits of mothers and the consequences for young children in countries with low and middle incomes.

The analyses were prepared within the framework of the accountability regarding the attainment of the UN millennium targets 2000 – 2015.They form the technical basis of consequential investigations regarding the topic of malnutrition in consideration of the specific geopolitical situation of a particular region.Special attention was paid to and is still paid to hidden hunger and its causes in children under the age of five years and their mothers.

The core statements are quoted here from the publication mentioned below:

Key – Messages

• Iron and calcium deficiencies contribute substantially to maternal deaths
• Maternal iron deficiency is associated with babies with low weight (<2500 g) at birth
• Maternal and child undernutrition, and unstimulating household environments, contribute to deficits in children’s development and health and productivity in adulthood
• Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with maternal morbidity, preterm birth, and increased infant mortality
• Fetal growth restriction is associated with maternal short stature and underweight and causes 12% of child deaths
• Stunting prevalence is slowly decreasing globally, but affected at least 165 million children younger than 5 years in 2011; wasting affected at least 52 million children
• Suboptimum breastfeeding results in more than 800 000 child deaths annually
• Undernutrition, including fetal growth restriction, suboptimum breastfeeding, stunting, wasting, and deficiencies of vitamin A and zinc, cause 45% of child deaths, resulting in 3.1 million deaths annually
• Prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in children younger than 5 years globally and is an important contributor to diabetes and other chronic diseases in adulthood
• Undernutrition during pregnancy, affecting fetal growth, and the first 2 years of life is a major determinant of both stunting of linear growth and subsequent obesity and non-communicable diseases in adulthood

Grafiken

Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (1995–2005), iodine deficiency (2013), inadequate zinc intake (2005), and iron deficiency anaemia (2011)

Global deaths in children younger than 5 years attributed to nutritional disorders

Read and see more:

R.E. Black et al. Maternal Child Nutrition Study G. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet. 2013;382:427–451.
Link: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2813%2960937-X/abstract