Stunting was defined as the proportion of children below two standard deviations from the WHO length- or height-for-age standards median. Linear mixed-effects modelling was used to estimate rates and numbers of affected children from 1990 to 2010, and projections to 2020.In 2010, it is estimated that 171 million children (167 million in developing countries) were stunted. Globally, childhood stunting decreased from 39.7 in 1990 to 26.7% in 2010. This trend is expected to reach 21.8 or 142 million, in 2020.
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Good nutrition is the cornerstone for survival, health and development. Well-nourished children perform better in school, grow into healthy adults and in turn give their children a better start in life. Well-nourished women face fewer risks during pregnancy and childbirth, and their children set off on firmer developmental paths, both physically and mentally.
Globally, more than one third of child deaths are attributable to undernutrition
Undernourished children have lowered resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments like diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth.
Poverty, low levels of education and poor access to health services are major contributors to childhood undernutrition, a complex issue that requires tackling on a wide number of fronts.
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There is a 132 page UN report on Improving Child Nutrition : The achievable imperative for global progress
Read more »![]()
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Good nutrition is the cornerstone for survival, health and development. Well-nourished children perform better in school, grow into healthy adults and in turn give their children a better start in life. Well-nourished women face fewer risks during pregnancy and childbirth, and their children set off on firmer developmental paths, both physically and mentally.
Globally, more than one third of child deaths are attributable to undernutrition
Undernourished children have lowered resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments like diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth.
Poverty, low levels of education and poor access to health services are major contributors to childhood undernutrition, a complex issue that requires tackling on a wide number of fronts.
There is a 132 page UN report on Improving Child Nutrition : The achievable imperative for global progress
Read more »
