Seven Key Facts About Child and Maternal Malnutrition

Rome, 16 November 2014 — In the past two decades, child and maternal malnutrition has declined almost by half–yet, child undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies still impose the greatest nutrition related health burden at the global level, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports ahead of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) scheduled on 19-21 November 2014 at FAO Headquarters in Rome.

Undernutrition in children often results from poor quality diets in terms of variety, nutrient content and food safety during infancy and childhood combined with poor access to health services, sanitation and social care, FAO adds.

For pregnant women, hunger and malnutrition, especially deficiencies of iron and calcium, contribute substantially to maternal deaths. Children who are undernourished are more susceptible to infectious diseases and their cognitive development is compromised, hindering their performance in school and consequently their future job and income opportunities,” says FAO.

“Poor maternal and child nutrition is also the primary pathway by which poverty is transmitted from one generation to the next: stunted girls—whose height growth is slowed owing to poor nutrition—grow up to be short in stature as adults, and short maternal height is one of the strongest predictors for low birth weight children and future childhood stunting.”

Key Facts

. 161 million children under the age of five are stunted due to chronic undernutrition.

. The prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five is most common in developing countries in the UN regions of Eastern Africa (41%) followed by Oceania (excluding NZ and AUS –38%), Southern Asia (36%), South-Central Asia (35%) and Western, Middle and Southern Africa (34%, 32% and 30%, respectively).

. Childhood and maternal malnutrition, including foetal growth restriction, sub optimum breastfeeding, stunting, wasting and vitamin A and zinc deficiencies, is an underlying cause of death in an estimated 45% of all deaths among children under five years of age.

. Children in the poorest households are twice as likely to be underweight (weight-for-age) as those in the least poor households.

. The prevalence of stunting in children globally declined from 199 million in 2000 to 161 million in 2013, representing a decline in the proportion of stunted children from 33% to 25%.

. Maternal undernutrition, common in many developing countries, leads to poor foetal development and higher risk of pregnancy complications.

. Globally, anaemia affects 38% of pregnant women

The ICN2 is an inclusive inter-governmental meeting on nutrition jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The two main outcome documents of the conference are the Rome Declaration on Nutrition: a political commitment document, and the Framework for Action: a technical guide for implementation.

More information from FAO: