Impacts of Undernutrition
Text adapted from
The World Food Problem
Leathers & Foster, 2009
ttp://www.amazon.com/World-Food-ProblemToward-Undernutrition/dp/1588266389
Low Birth Weight Babies
• Born to undernourished
mothers
– PEM
– Iron deficiency
• Much more likely to die
in first year
• Early nutrition in girl’s
life can affect baby
Delayed Menarche
• Undernourished girls
produce less estrogen
– Associated with body fat
• Lower estrogen delays
the age of menstruation:
– USA: 12.8 yrs old
– Rural India: 14.4 yrs old
– Rwanda: 17 yrs old
Breast Feeding as Birth Control
(Lactational Amenorrhea)
• Prolactin stimulates breast milk
– Also suppresses ovulation
• Producing breast milk also
reduces fat storage
– Thus reduces estrogen
– Thus impedes ovulation
• Very effective for 6-12 months
after birth
• Most important form of birth
control in developing world
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/424570275_2152aa84c8.jpg?v=0
Breast Feeding
• Improves baby’s health
• Contains all nutrients
• Fights infection
– Antibodies in milk
• Guaranteed food supply
– No competition with other
family members
• Sanitary food supply
• 1.5 million children in
developing world die
– because they are not breast fed
ftp://ftp.fao.org/wfd/2007/photogallery/pages/en/index_en.htm
AIDS and Breast Feeding
• Breast milk can pass AIDS virus
• More likely if mother has vitamin A
deficiency
– 32% if deficiency
– 7% if normal
• Bottle alternative may be less safe
– 6x higher risk of death due to
diarrhea or respiratory diseases
• UNICEF recommends mothers with
AIDS to breast feed
– for first 6 months
Mother and child
with AIDS
Impact of Undernutrition on
Infant Mortality
• Probability of dying by age 5
– 15.5% in least developed nations
– 0.85% in industrialized nations
• Diarrhea leading killer
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Infant Mortality
http://host2.equinox.ie/ConnectWorld/procontent/Global_Themes/upload/infantmortality.gif
Pneumonia
Influenza
Bronchitis
Whooping cough
Measles
• Malnutrition
– contributes to ½ of these deaths in
developing world
Impact of Undernutrition on
Intellectual Development
• Protein supplements
given during
pregnancy
– Improved cognitive
function in children
through age 6-7 yrs.
• IQ reduced by child’s
deficiency in
– Iron
– Iodine
– Protein
http://www.btbetterworld.com/media/International/images/smiling-african-boy_290.jpg
Impact of Undernutrition on
Education
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•
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Missed school days
Special education needs
Low test scores
Repeated grades
Attention deficit disorder
–
–
–
–
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http://www.wacm.info/images/Kids%20in%20classroom%20girl.jpg
Decreased attention span
Impaired memory
Disobedience
Distractibility
Reduced progress
Impact of Undernutrition on
Labor Productivity
• Work capacity drops
severely
– Calorie deficiency
– Iron deficiency
• More likely
unemployed
• Taller individuals
– Better nourished
– More productive
– Stronger
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/geog/RicePlowing.gif
Undernutrition in the Developing
World
• 20% of the developing
world suffers from
undernutrition
Madigascar undernourished children
http://mongabay.com/music/06/0502unicef.jpg
Number of Undernourished
Were Dropping
• 918 million
– 1970s
• 906 million
– 1980s
• 800 million
– 2000
• Biggest drop in Asia
– 25% drop
• Least drop sub-Saharan
Africa
http://www.satyamag.com/sat.site.images/hunger.jpg
– 5% drop
Seasonality of Undernutrition
• Grain prices lowest right
after harvest
– Nutrition good
• 2,000 Calories/day in
Mozambique
– Then supplies dwindle
• Grain prices highest
before harvest
– Hungry season
• 1,430 Calories/day in
Mozambique
– Foraging for wild foods
• Termites, caterpillars,
grasshoppers, locusts
Criteria for worst-off countries
• Calories/person
– D.R. Congo, Burundi, Eritrea,
Somalia, Afghanistan,
Tajikistan
• Child nutrition
– North Korea, Afghanistan,
Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia
• Mortality rates for children
– Sierra Leone, Angola, Afghanistan
• Low Birth weight babies
Rural Bangladesh Women
http://www.thp.org/sai00/bangladesh/bangpro.jpg
– Bangladesh, Haiti, Yemen,
India
What Kinds of People are
Undernourished?
• Rural poor
– 65% of people are rural in
low income countries
• Children
– Especially weaning
• Pregnant, Lactating
women
• Girls
– Food diverted to brothers
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=102981&rendTypeId=4
• Uneducated families
• Large families
• Elderly