How You Can Help End Global Malnutrition?

starving boys.jpeg

How You Can Help End Global Malnutrition?


When the body needs food, it sends a signal to your brain causing you to feel hungry. Once the food is eaten, hunger goes away. Malnutrition, on the other hand, occurs when the body does not have the nutrients it needs for growth and development. Although hunger and malnourishment are different, they often go hand in hand.

Chronic malnutrition and hunger can cause a plethora of health issues. It can cause a child to be underweight and growth may be stunted. Additionally, it can have far-reaching physical and mental impacts. Children who do not consume enough food will experience hunger.  Over time, this can lead to malnourishment. However, even children who eat enough calories may become malnourished if the foods that they eat do not contain enough vitamins and minerals.

Symptoms of Malnourishment in Kids

John Hopkins Medical (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/adult/pediatrics/malnutrition_22,Malnutrition)   reports that children who are malnourished often have a weak immune system, may be short, thin or bloated. When nutritional deficiencies occur, a child's sense of smell, sight or taste can be altered. Malnourishment can cause psychiatric symptoms, mood swings and anxiety. Other symptoms of malnourishment include:



  • A cracked, swollen or shriveled tongue

  • Achy joints

  • Bleeding gums

  • Bruising

  • Light sensitivity

  • Night blindness

  • Pale, dry skin

  • Pigmentation changes

  • Rashes

  • Soft bones

  • Thin hair



Over time malnutrition can cause the child to have a lack of appetite as the body loses tissues, muscle mass and fat. If the child becomes ill, it can be more difficult to recover. Total starvation can be fatal and result in heart or respiratory failure. Even if steps are taken to correct malnutrition, long-term effects can persist. The child may have intellectual issues like learning difficulties. The child may also experience decreased mental function and digestive issues.


Malnourishment in Children

There are several things that can cause malnutrition, including lack of food and medical conditions. Let's take a look at some of the most common causes of malnutrition and what we can do to help children receive the nutrients that they need to lead a healthy and productive life.

  • Not Being Breastfed – In certain cultures, infants are taken away from their mother as soon as they are born for a month or longer. When the infant does not receive proper nutrition at birth, it can have long-lasting repercussions on the child's health.

  • Lack of Food – When the child does not have enough food to eat each day, they will not get the nutrients that they need to thrive. The World Hunger Education Service (https://www.worldhunger.org/world-child-hunger-facts/) reports that 800 million children are hungry and 2 billion children have micronutrient deficiencies.

  • Poverty – Poverty is the leading cause of hunger. Globally, hunger in children is running rampant. Because hunger and poverty go hand in hand, a cyclical relationship occurs. Although poverty causes hunger, the symptoms of hunger and malnutrition cause poverty because malnutrition causes mental and physical disabilities that can prevent adults from working. Thus, the cycle continues.


Diagnosing and Treating Malnutrition

Promptly diagnosing and treating malnutrition can help to prevent complications. In order to diagnose malnutrition, height and weight measurements should be taken to determine a child's BMI (body mass index). This information along with any physical or mental health symptoms can help to determine the extent of malnutrition.

Once malnutrition is diagnosed and its severity is determined, a treatment plan will be developed. In addition to providing the child with the required food calories, nutritional supplements may be required to correct any deficiencies. These supplements may be given orally or intravenously, depending on the severity.

How to Prevent Global Malnutrition?

Due to the complexity surrounding malnutrition and poverty, local governments, individuals and nonprofit organizations need to partner together to develop nutritional programs and strategies to end world hunger.

  • Breastfeeding Promotion – One of the best ways to help end malnutrition is to promote breastfeeding until the age of 2. Breastfeeding can save hundreds of thousands of children each year. Educating new parents and ending the tradition of separating an infant from the mother for a month or longer can help to ensure that babies are receiving the nutrients they need.

  • Nutritional Supplementation – Many people around the world do not consume food that has the needed nutrients for ensuring good health. Ensuring that the food contains vitamin A and folic acid can help to address nutritional deficiencies.

Let's Do Our Part

Medical News Today reports that malnutrition accounts for 45 percent of the deaths of children under the age of 5. (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179316.php) When we work together to provide nutrient dense food to the world's hungry children and provide educational programs on effective crop management, we can stamp out world hunger and malnourishment.

Rohan Hirani