Childhood Malnutrition: Time for Action

Abstract

Childhood malnutrition of every form, including undernutrition (wasting, stunting and underweight), micronutrient deficiencies, as well as overweight and obesity, consists a triple burden of disease, especially for low- and middle-income countries, and is one of the leading causes of poor health and a major impediment to personal development and achievement of full human potential worldwide [...]

Burden of Childhood Malnutrition: A Roadmap of Global and European Policies Promoting Healthy Nutrition for Infants and Young Children

“…Childhood obesity is a common major public health problem in both developed and developing countries [ 1 ]. Various policies address the topic in the context of broader plans that either refer to early childhood healthy nutrition promotion or, generally, deal with the burden of NCDs.…”

“…At a time when nutrition research is evolving, the challenges associated with food insecurity and malnutrition appear to be threatening. Although the access to food and resources has become more effortless in high-income countries, food deprivation remains the core problem in the developing world [ 1 ]. Furthermore, scientists underline the alarming increase in malnutrition rates globally, and, due to its severe impact on infants and children, numerous studies have addressed its different forms [ 1 ].…”

“…Africa and Asia bear the greatest share of all forms of malnutrition [ 7 ]. Undernutrition accounts for 45% of the mortality in children under the age of 5 years [ 1 , 8 ]. According to the updated edition on childhood malnutrition estimates, published by WHO, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank Group in March 2020, in the year 2019, 144 million children under 5 suffered from stunting (low height-for-age), 47 million were wasted (low weight-for-height) and 38.3 million were overweight [ 9 ].…”

“…Despite the variety of policies and actions that have been implemented, childhood obesity continues to rise [ 1 ]. Results of the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) [ 10 ] indicate that 13.4% of the children aged 2–5 and 1/5 (20.3%) of those aged 6–11-years old in the USA were obese.…”

Micronutrient homeostasis in plants for more sustainable agriculture and healthier human nutrition

“…Children are highly vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies ( Van Der Straeten et al , 2020 ; Vassilakou, 2021 ). For example, Fe deficiency was found to be prevalent among 12- to 36-month-old children in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK ( Akkermans et al , 2016 ).…”