1-Malnutrition is one of the factors that contribute most to the global burden of disease. More than a third of child deaths worldwide are attributed to malnutrition. Poverty is one of its main causes.
2-A key indicator of chronic malnutrition is growth retardation, that is, when children are too low for their age group compared to WHO's child growth patterns. Worldwide there are about 165 million children with stunted growth due to food shortages, a poor diet of vitamin A and minerals and the disease, according to the figures of 2011. When growth is reduced, the brain development, which has serious repercussions on learning ability. Growth retardation rates among children are higher in Africa and Asia. In East Africa, for example, it affects 42% of the child population, according to 2011 figures.
3-Emaciation and bilateral edema are serious forms of malnutrition, caused by an acute lack of food and aggravated by the disease. Around 1.5 million children die each year of wasting. The rise in food prices, their scarcity in conflict zones and natural disasters reduce the access of families to appropriate food and in sufficient quantity, so they are factors that can cause wasting. To counteract it and save lives it is necessary to carry out emergency nutritional interventions.
4-"Hidden hunger" is the lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, components that are essential to boost immunity and healthy development. Vitamin A, zinc, iron and iodine deficiencies are of great concern for public health. Some 2000 million people suffer from iodine deficiency worldwide and vitamin A deficiency is associated every year with more than half a million deaths of children under 5 years of age worldwide.
5-The increase in overweight and obesity worldwide is one of the main challenges for public health. People of all ages and conditions face this type of malnutrition, as a result of which the rates of diabetes and other diseases related to the diet are increasing rapidly, even in developing countries. In developing countries up to 20% of children under 5 are overweight.
6-Good nutrition during pregnancy is a guarantee of a healthier baby. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months and then the introduction of age-appropriate and safe complementary foods without abandoning breastfeeding until two years or more. Around 20% of the deaths of children under 5 years of age worldwide could be avoided if these indications are respected. Thanks to proper nutrition, growth retardation and obesity rates decrease and intellectual development in young children is stimulated.
7-In adolescents nutritional problems begin during childhood and continue during adulthood. Anemia is a crucial nutritional problem for teenage girls. Avoiding early pregnancies and reinforcing girls' nutritional health during the period of puberty makes it possible to reduce the number of maternal and infant deaths later and stop the cycles of malnutrition from one generation to the next. In both girls and boys, adolescence is an ideal period to instill correct habits in terms of eating and physical activity.
8-An existence of unhealthy meals and inactivity increases health risks over time and contributes to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other problems. The world's population is aging: people over 60 years of age will go from the current 700 million to 1 billion in 2020. Nutritional health at an advanced age will be a decisive factor in the global health situation.
9-Nutritional information is necessary to determine the areas where nutritional assistance is most necessary. WHO has published international patterns of child growth that serve as benchmarks to compare the nutritional status of children at national and regional levels, as well as between different countries and regions. In addition, WHO and partners have created an information system on the general situation of nutrition that contains data on key indicators related to nutrition and factors such as food, health and care.
10-Science has advanced and there are measures based on scientific data that will contribute to improving nutritional health, especially among the most vulnerable people. Consequently, WHO and partners are collaborating in the provision
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