Contemporary Issues in Childhood Malnutrition

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person's intake of energy and/or nutrients. Child malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age), micronutrient-related malnutrition (a lack of important vitamins and minerals) or micronutrient excess, overweight, obesity, and resulting diet-related non-communicable diseases. Malnutrition is one of the most important factors for improper physical and mental development of children. One in every five children in the developing world is malnourished, and poor nutrition is associated with half of all child deaths worldwide. The problem of low or excessive body weight concerns countries with different levels of socio-economic development. This is a medical, social, and economic issue. Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Combating malnutrition in all its forms is one of the greatest global health challenges. Infants, children and adolescents are at particular risk of malnutrition. In children, malnutrition has particularly significant health consequences during both early development and adulthood. Malnutrition endangers children's survival, health, growth and development, slows national progress towards the developmental goals and thus diminishes the strength and capacity of nation. Malnutrition in terms of undernutrition is substantially higher in rural than in urban areas and children from indigenous populations often have the poorest nutritional status. The developmental, economic, social, and medical impacts of the global burden of malnutrition are serious and lasting for all involved including individuals and their families, communities and countries. Poor nutrition during the early years of life can also have severe consequences for subsequent skeletal and immunological development. Studies have demonstrated that undernutrition is not caused by food insecurity alone. Other factors range from the length of the breastfeeding period and the availability of milk oligosaccharides, pathogen exposure, and enteric dysfunction marked by villus atrophy and loss of gut barrier function. Differences in the succession of microbial establishment and maturity might contribute to family discordances in nutritional status. Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. Its prevalence has increased at an alarming rate. Globally, in 2016, the number of overweight children under the...