Malnutrition related to world hunger.
By: Angelica Cheung – the Dietitian
Research question
Is increasing food supply the
solution for ending malnutrition
related to world hunger?
The Basics
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Malnutrition is a state of poor or inadequate
nutrition.
Everyone who eats deals with malnutrition in
both developing and developed countries at
this very moment.
Why is it important?
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Health and nutrition are essential for
everyday life and activities
Although it is quite important, many people
continue to die everyday.
Dietitian’s Role
As a dietitian, it is my duty in society to:
 Educate the public and health professionals
about nutrition
 To promote health and limit disease.
 Encourage healthy eating lifestyles
My Position on the Issue
No, while increasing the food supply plays
a role for fighting malnutrition related to
world hunger, it is not the solution.
For two reasons:
First reason: Unequal
Distribution
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Unequal distribution of food is shown through
the difference between the obesity of many in
the Western world and starvation in the third
world countries.
In 2000, 13% of the total population was
hungry everyday, while at the same time
obesity health risks were rising.
So, let’s compare the difference of diets in
different countries, here is a slide show to
show you how people eat.
Slideshow:
What gets eaten in a week
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Now lets compare the amount of food
consumed by different families around the
world.
It’s important to take into account:
- the size of the family
- the amount of food they buy.
- the type of food they bought.
http://www.slideshare.net/Roelof/comparisonof-what-is-eaten-in-a-week
How does unequal distribution
affect malnutrition?
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Long term effects are shown through stunted
growth of children. Children are at high risk
and many are malnourished and lack many
common nutrients we have.
These are permanent conditions that cause
their mentality and brain’s ability to never fully
develop to it’s maximum capability, and cause
a great burden as it is possible for this
condition to be passed down generations.
Second reason: Quality of
food
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While children are starving in developing
countries, in the same country many people
are becoming overweight.
Places like India and Pakistan have higher
obesity rates from before.
For instance, China’s obesity rate has
increased 10% in 2006 from the near zero
rate in the 1980s because an increase
shipments of cheap meats and palm-oil
products.
Why is this happening?
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Europe and the US are
able, with the current trade
policies, to make it cheaper
to sell sugary and fatty
products than healthy fruits
and vegetables.
As sad as it sounds, not
only are they keeping
developing countries poor,
they are making them
become fat as well.
How does quality of food
affect malnutrition?
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We all know what obesity can do to someone
especially after watching “Supersize Me”, the effects
are serious and can limit working capabilities of an
individual.
Developing countries need to have energy to develop
and boost their economy to become their own
independent nation instead of depending on cheap
unhealthy imports and increasing health problems
like heart disease and diabetes.
So, yes, these developing countries are getting
enough food from the world’s food supply, but they
are still malnourished.
An example of a typical meal in the United States.
A meal with too many calories and too much fat,
cholesterol, animal protein, salt, and sugar.
It’s lacking in whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.
WFP's Food Basket in Emergencies
Ingredients
 400g of cereal flour/rice
 60g of pulses
 25 g of oil (vit. A
fortified)
 50 g of fortified blended
foods (Corn Soya
Blend)
 15g of sugar
 15g of iodized salt
Nutritional value
 Energy 2,100 Kcal
 Protein 58 g
 Fat 43g
This basket has micronutrients
such as vitamin A, iron, iodine and
zinc that serves to prevent
deficiencies.
The main cause:
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As you can see, all these global issues are
closely related to one another.
 It all boils down to the Poverty Trap.
Education, trade, income, gender, and even
the climate affect poverty, which is the main
cause of malnutrition.
It is a vicious cycle, as shown in this chart:
The Harsh Reality
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10.9 million children
under five die in
developing countries
each year. Malnutrition
and hunger-related
diseases cause 60
percent of the deaths;
(Source: The State of the World's
Children, UNICEF, 2007)
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One out of four children roughly 146 million - in
developing countries are
underweight;
(Source: The State of the World's
Children, UNICEF, 2007)
The Harsh Reality
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Lack of Vitamin A kills a
million infants a year
Although Vitamin A is not
hard for us to obtain.
But wait, not to worry,
there’s still hope !
In 1997 alone, the lives of at least 300,000 young children
were saved by vitamin A supplementation programs in
developing countries.
Organizations dealing with
World Hunger
Action Centre La Faim (Action
Against Hunger)
ADRA
Africare
America's Second Harvest
American Red Cross
AmeriCares Foundation
Bread For The World
CARE
Catholic Relief Services
Congressional Hunger Center
Educational Concerns For
Hunger Organization
Feinstein Petition To End
Hunger
Food For The Hungry
Foodchain - The National
Food-Rescue Network
Freedom From Hunger
Future Harvest
Heifer Project International
The Hunger Project
InterAction
International Rescue
Committee
Lutheran World Relief
NetAid
Oxfam America
Oxfam International
PovertyNet
Save The Children Federation
Share Our Strength
TechnoServe
United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF)
United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP)
World Emergency Relief
World Vision
Dietitian’s Resolution
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As a dietitian, it is my
responsibility to
educate the public
about these kinds of
issues.
I strongly believe in
educating the people is
the starting solution for
battling world hunger
and malnutrition.
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Consider the Chinese
Proverb, “Give a man a
fish and you feed him for
a day. Teach a man to
fish and you feed him for
a lifetime.”
Dietitian’s Resolution
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Teaching people the reason for their problems help
them understand and it allows them an opportunity to
get involved to create a new future, and the issue
can be solved that much faster.
Dietitian’s Resolution
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For example, supplying equipment and
teaching them how to efficiently use their
tools can increase the productivity. In the long
run, these individuals are helping create a
better future and economy for their country.
Not only do you educate the needy, but you
can educate the general public, including you
guys, that are able to make a difference in
other’s lives.
Student’s Solution
Well, now you’re thinking
“what can I do? I’m just a
high school student making
barely any money to
donate.” But don’t fret; there
are many ways of getting
involved and making a
difference in peoples lives.
Not only can you help locally in our community by donating
canned foods, or creating shoeboxes for children at our
school, you can even buy baked goods from daily sales
that raise money for all kinds of non-profitable charities.
Student’s Solution
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In support of the world food
programme,
http://www.wfp.org/1billion,
you can donate a couple of
dollars.
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Besides the normal
donation of your hardearned money, you can
also participate in
www.freerice.com where
every answer you get
correct, you send 10 grains
of rice. It can help build
your vocabulary,
geography, French, and
even your math skills.
In January 2009,
2,416,239,520 grains of
rice were donated!
Experience the Reality
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Are you not convinced yet?
Try placing yourselves in
their shoes. Try surviving
on only 1 dollar a meal
or participating in the “30
hour famine”, a program
that World Vision hosts
when youth go without
food while raising money to
fund children worldwide.
Students gain
understanding on the real
experience of hunger.
We, who have so much, must do
more to help those in need. And
most of all, we must live simply,
so that others may simply live.
-- Ed Begley, Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTzfQL
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