Causes Of Malnutrition

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Malnutrition is estimated to contribute to more than one third of all child deaths and more than 50% of childhood mortality in children under 5 years old although it is rarely listed as the direct cause(1). Malnutrition is a broad term commonly used to indicate under nutrition but technically it also refers to over nutrition.
The basic causes of malnutrition include formal and informal institutions: political, economic and ideological structure and system. Health service availability with other causes like infection particularly frequent or persistent diarrhoea, pneumonia, measles and malaria that undermine child's nutritional status and play important role in increased incidence of malnutrition.
According to United Nations Children’s Fund …show more content…

In children aged 6–59 months, an arm circumference less than 115 mm is also revealing of severe acute malnutrition. SAM is a life threatening condition requiring urgent treatment and its one of an important public health problem. Globally, it is estimated that there are nearly 20 million children who are severely acutely malnourished. Most of them live in South Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa. …show more content…

Moderate malnutrition contributes more to the overall disease burden than severe, as it affects numerous more children, even if the risk of death is lower.(3). Collins et al, analysis shows over 1.5 million child deaths associated with severe acute malnutrition and 3.5 with moderate acute malnutrition every year.(4)
Based on joint assessment by UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank the prevalence of acute malnutrition (WHZ <-2) had a prevalence of 10% or more – a threshold that represents a “public health emergency requiring immediate intervention” . This study also showed that, since 1990, prevalence rates of acute malnutrition have declined three times slowly than prevalence rates of for stunting.

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