PREVALENCE OF MALNUTRITION AMONG
CHILDREN IN ASIA
Geok Lin Khor Ph.D.
Professor of
Community Nutrition, Department of Nutrition & Health Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 Serdang, Malaysia
khorgl@medic.upm.edu.my
Introduction
Significant progress has been made over the last 30 years in the
nutritional status of young children. Between 1970 and 2000 the
proportion of malnourished children was reduced by 20% in developing
countries1. The prevalence of underweight among preschool children
(< 5 years old) in developing countries declined from 34.3% in 1985
to 29.3% in 19952. In absolute numbers, however the decline is not
as impressive. In fact, the number of underweight children has
changed little over this period, decreasing from 163.8 million in
1985 to 157.6 million in 1995. Asia with several highly populated
countries bears a vast burden of malnutrition in children. The
concentration of malnutrition amongst children is highest in Asia
compared with other continents. Seventy percent of the world’s
malnourished children reside in the region1. About half of the
preschool children in Asia are malnourished, ranging from 16%
underweight in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to 64% in
Bangladesh. Some 120 million children are malnourished, constituting
three quarters of the global total. One in three preschool children
are stunted, rising to one out of every two children in the
countries of South Asia such as India, Bangladesh and Nepal. In
terms of number of underweight children, India leads with an
estimated 62 million followed by PRC (17 million)3.
A high proportion of young children in developing countries suffer
from a number of micronutrient deficiencies, besides the problem of
protein-energy malnutrition as manifested by underweight and
stunting. In the Asia and Pacific region, commonly reported
micronutrient problems involving children are iron deficiency
anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine deficiency disorders (Table
1). The focus of this report is limited to these major nutritional
problems from the perspective of their extent, determinants and
consequences on health. Intervention strategies and activities for
overcoming malnutrition and specific nutrients are not included as
they cover a wide scope and warrant a separate report.
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