Impacts of Undernutrition
Text extracted from
The World Food Problem
Leathers & Foster, 2004
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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
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
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
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
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– Pneumonia– Influenza– Bronchitis– Whooping cough– Measles
• Malnutrition contributes to ½ of these deaths in developing world
Infant Mortality
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
Impact of Undernutrition on Education
• Missed school days
• Special education needs
• Low test scores
• Repeated grades
• Attention deficit disorder– 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
Malnutrition in the Developing World
• 30% of the developing world suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition
Number of Undernourished Dropping
• 918 million – 1970s
• 906 million– 1980s
• 800 million– 2000
• Biggest drop in Asia– 25% drop
• Least drop sub- Saharan Africa– 5% drop
Kosovo refugees
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 increases
Criteria for worst-off countries
• Calories/person– Kinshasa, 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– Bangladesh, Haiti, Yemen,
IndiaRural Bangladesh Women
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
• Uneducated families• Large families• Elderly