Pakistani Kids under five 44% stunted and 32% underweight

www.statesman.com

Pakistan has a very high rate of child malnutrition as 44 per cent of children under five are stunted and 32 per cent are underweight, National Nutrition Survey 2011 revealed.

According to survey, maternal malnutrition is also a significant problem as 15 per cent of women of reproductive age have chronic energy deficiency. Women and children also suffer from some of the world’s highest levels of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The levels of malnutrition and its impact on growth and height in Pakistan remain serious. Underweight is weight for age, whereas stunting is height for age and is a reflection of chronic malnutrition.” “Nutrition emergency” is 15 per cent wasting and the level of wasting in young children (less than 1 year) in Pakistan is 25 per cent. There are no significant differences between malnutrition levels for girls and boys.

“There is broad consensus globally on the “Scaling Up Nutrition” (SUN) framework that calls for focus on the first 1000 days of life, from conception to the first 24 months of a child’s life, because that when most of the damage to cognitive ability and growth occurs and much of that damage is irreversible,” it said, adding that the SUN framework outlines a set of well-proven “direct nutrition interventions” as well as broader multi-sectoral approach. Action on both is urgent.

It further said, improving nutrition contributes to productivity, economic development, and poverty reduction by improving physical work capacity, cognitive development, school performance, and health by reducing disease and mortality. The economic costs of malnutrition are very high – an estimated 2-3 per cent of GDP is every year in Pakistan on account of vitamins and mineral deficiencies alone.

“At the same time, investments in nutrition have been very low. The lack of improvement in nutrition indicators is not surprising given that very few of the interventions that are known to reduce malnutrition have been implemented in Pakistan. This reflects a low level of awareness and prioritization,” it added.