Child Malnutrition Is a Structural Issue

Our childhood shapes us in important ways. It is a crucial period when a person requires the right nutrition at the right time to ensure proper development. Unfortunately, child malnutrition persists everywhere in the world. The inability to provide nutritious food for children must be understood and addressed on a systemic level to create meaningful progress in ending the issue.

Child malnutrition refers to a condition of insufficient or excessive nutrition consumed by children. These imbalances manifest in cases such as stunting, wasting, and being overweight, hindering children from growing healthily and enjoying life to the fullest.

A Structural Issue

At a glance, child malnutrition may seem like a result of parental negligence and lifestyle choices. However, it would be a massive understatement for what child malnutrition truly is: a structural issue caused by multiple interlinking factors. From poverty to climate change, numerous aspects contribute to the family’s inability to put food on the table.

UNICEF data shows that 181 million children under 5 years of age live in severe food poverty, a condition in which food is neither accessible nor affordable for families. This condition is one of the primary drivers of child malnutrition as families tend to resort to cheaper food and beverages with low nutrition.

Almost half of these children (46%) come from households in the two poorest wealth quintiles. Meanwhile, the rest belong to households in the middle and upper wealth quintiles, indicating that the problem goes way beyond household income poverty. Poor sanitation, limited healthcare services, maternal malnutrition during pregnancy and lactation, lack of education and information, and gender inequalities also contribute to the issue.

Still, child malnutrition is most tightly connected to multidimensional poverty. According to UN data from 2018, two-thirds of all stunted children and three-quarters of all wasted children lived in lower- and middle-income countries. Poverty heightens the risk of and from child malnutrition. With increased healthcare costs and reduced cognitive functions that may affect future productivity, child malnutrition can perpetuate a cycle of poverty.

Another crucial aspect in child malnutrition is unsustainable food systems that fail to provide healthy and affordable food for all. Climate change significantly threatens the diversity, quantity, and quality of food available to children and their families. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events associated with climate change disrupt crop growth, yields, and production. Besides limiting food production, they also lead to rising food prices.

Furthermore, conflicts and crises also create disruption in global food production and distribution, exacerbating existing issues. All these factors are structurally linked and can aggravate each other without proper intervention.

Seeking Solutions

Combating malnutrition is one of the greatest global health challenges, underscoring the combined roles of government, businesses, and civil society in addressing it at a systemic level.

An obvious and immediate answer to child malnutrition is to give children food. One example is through a school meal program, which provides hot and nutritious food for students at school. In Cambodia, this program does not only address malnutrition but also incentivizes parents to send their kids to school and keeps more children in education. Similar programs are being implemented by countries worldwide in varying forms.

While the school meal program has obvious benefits, it is far from enough. On its own, it can be costly and unsustainable in the long term. Addressing child malnutrition requires systemically tackling the root cause of the issue to produce larger impacts and more efficient interventions.

Addressing Root Causes

One way is to equip parents with sufficient knowledge about nutrition and proper feeding practices. In Argentina, civil society organizations support mothers with practical parenting and nutritional guidance through workshops and talks. Beyond gaining knowledge, women participating in these programs also form bonds and communities.

Furthermore, families can also learn to grow their vegetables at home, similar to what UNICEF has implemented in Sudan. In a broader context, key stakeholders must also collaborate to build infrastructure for water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), provide targeted social assistance schemes, establish training and upskilling programs to gain employment, and develop other related programs based on research and public participation. After all, tackling multidimensional poverty is a priority pathway to end child malnutrition.

Of course, halting climate change through energy transition and emission reduction is a significant part of addressing child malnutrition. Our health is connected to the health of our environment. So, taking care of the planet’s biodiversity and ecosystems to build sustainable food systems is vital among other efforts in food production, processing, trade, distribution, pricing, labelling, and marketing.

Ending Child Malnutrition

Ending child malnutrition is not an easy task, but it is not impossible. Intervention programs in health services, social protection, education, and agriculture and food systems must address the “double burden” of child malnutrition–undernutrition as well as obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. Governments, businesses, and civil society must demonstrate serious commitment, invest in resources and preparations, collaborate, and closely monitor and evaluate program implementation to achieve great results.

Children are our future. Ultimately, it is their right and in our collective best interest to create the proper environment for them to grow up safe, healthy, and happy. Supporting children’s health and wellbeing is one of the keys to ensuring a better future for all.

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