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MALNUTRITION: A SCOURGE THAT COULD AFFECT 2 BILLION PEOPLE
TODAY, ONE IN ELEVEN PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE SUFFERING FROM HUNGER, AND ONE IN THREE ARE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE.² MALNUTRITION IS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF AN INADEQUATE DIET AND HAS SERIOUS HEALTH REPERCUSSIONS. IT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES OUR SOCIETY FACES.
Malnutrition is present in every country in the world, and the United Nations predicts that it will affect 2 billion more people by 2050. Social inequalities and poverty have an impact on our relationship with food, but they are not the only causes of malnutrition.
DEFINITION OF MALNUTRITION
According to the WHO, malnutrition ‘refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients’.³ It is a nutritional state resulting from an imbalanced diet in terms of quantity and/or quality. Malnutrition therefore covers both undereating and overeating.
Undereating or undernutrition leads to weight loss, to the extent that the person is underweight, and stunted growth. Overeating, meanwhile, can lead to weight gain, obesity and non-communicable diseases linked to diet, such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes and some cancers.
In these two forms, malnutrition weakens the immune system, thus making the person vulnerable to other diseases, and can even lead to death. This is why it must be treated quickly; in all its forms, malnutrition has become the leading cause of poor health and death.
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MALNUTRITION OR UNDERNUTRITION? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Undernutrition is a form of malnutrition. It is characterised by a significant lack of food, for example when the person spends more energy than they consume. In the long term, this has serious health consequences and can lead to death. Undernutrition is especially rampant in developing countries, which are often affected by political, economic, social or climate instability. There are two types of malnutrition: chronic malnutrition and acute malnutrition.
WHAT IS ACUTE MALNUTRITION ?
Acute malnutrition can be moderate or severe. It is the most serious level of malnutrition, as the body starts to consume its own tissues to find the energy and nutrients it needs to survive, thus shedding muscle. Without treatment, acute malnutrition can cause death.
Chronic malnutrition is often the result of poor-quality food, rather than a lack of quantity. It is a long-term problem characterised by stunted growth. It cannot be treated, so it is important to act in advance with preventive measures.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN: THE MAIN VICTIMS OF MALNUTRITION
Today, around 735 million people are suffering from undernutrition.⁷ Hunger kills one person every four seconds.⁸ Women and young children are most affected by this scourge. In some countries, women do not have access to food or sufficient resources to satisfy their hunger due to inequalities. Children
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WHAT ARE THE MAIN CAUSES OF MALNUTRITION?
Multiple factors cause malnutrition. Conflict, climate change, lack of access to drinking water, and poverty linked to economic shocks and inequality can all lead to food insecurity among vulnerable populations.
CONFLICT
Conflict has a direct impact on food security, as it compromises access to food considerably. People forced to flee from escalating violence are uprooted and lose their farms, businesses or other local means of food production, as well as their markets. Abandoned fields and farms no longer produce food for distribution circuits that are further away. Distributors’ food supply may be cut off and the populations depending on them may no longer receive enough food.
CLIMATE CHANGE
In the space of 30 years, the number of natural disasters – droughts, cyclones, floods, etc. – linked to climate change has increased significantly. The effects of climate change are often dramatic and devastate regions that are already vulnerable. Infrastructures are damaged or destroyed and disease spreads quickly. Farmers can no longer grow their crops or rear their livestock. According to United Nations studies carried out in more than 40 developing countries, the drop in agricultural production generated directly or indirectly by climate change could cause the number of people suffering from hunger to skyrocket in the next few years.
LACK OF ACCESS TO WATER
Even today, millions of people do not have access to running water, and waterborne diseases can contribute to malnutrition. The WHO estimates that 50% of child malnutrition cases are directly linked to the consumption of dirty water and to a lack of access to hygiene and sanitation.
ECONOMIC SHOCKS
Most food crises occur following an economic shock. Many people are becoming more and more vulnerable due to price fluctuations. Inflation raises the price of food, thus heightening food insecurity and poverty. A lack of food in markets and problems with access to markets due to lack of adequate transport or enough financial resources are also factors behind malnutrition.
HOW ACTION CONTRE LA FAIM TACKLES MALNUTRITION
Since 1979, Action contre la Faim has been working to prevent, detect and treat malnutrition, its causes and its consequences among the most vulnerable populations. As there are several reasons for hunger, we adopt a multisectoral approach to overcome it. We act in the areas of nutrition and health; water, sanitation and hygiene; mental health and care practices; and food security and livelihoods.
Our activities and programmes in some 55 countries assisted 28 million people in 2022. We intervene when emergencies occur, such as natural disasters or crises that force populations into displacement. We arrive first to provide a quick, suitable response to fulfil the population’s basic needs.
To assist the Rohingya people, who fled mistreatment in Myanmar, we distributed kits to build makeshift shelters and rehoused families in areas at risk of landslides. We also implemented more development-based programmes.
In Ethiopia, we provided an immediate response to the needs of more than 800,300 people affected by the prolonged food crisis, via the distribution of supplies, nutrition and health activities, food aid and treatment for diarrhoeal diseases.
Our Food Security and Livelihoods programmes create job opportunities, boost economies, help the people we assist to fulfil their needs, and support the emancipation of women. In some countries, we have implemented integration programmes. These enable women with the necessary knowledge and expertise to create their own business, by providing funds and equipment, tools, and anything else they may need to launch their business activity.
Christophe Da Silva
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In Nigeria, we distribute cash to women. This way, they can be independent and manage their budget however they want to, according to their and their family’s needs, without having to depend on food distribution.
What is more, our Mental Health and Care Practices expertise helps the people we assist to rebuild themselves. We base our work on research showing that during conflict, many women forced to flee can no longer breastfeed. Due to the psychological trauma they have been through, their bodies no longer produce milk, and their babies’ health is therefore put at risk. Thanks to our psychological support, mothers and children are able to move forward.
In many of the countries in which we operate, we lead care practice education sessions. Mothers are not always informed of good practices and have no access to regular medical monitoring. Thanks to these sessions and support groups, we enable them to share the difficulties they have faced and their doubts and to feel surrounded by mothers in the same situation, while creating a strong connection between mother and child.
As climate change is an extra threat to food security, we encourage the creation of gardens and practices like agroforestry, agroecology or even hydroponics in many of the countries in which we operate. In Ethiopia, we trained families in the Wag Hemra Zone in hydroponics practices to mitigate the consequences of the area’s droughts.
For 40 years now, we have been using our expertise in all areas to fight hunger and assist vulnerable people, so that they can say goodbye to hunger for good.
Sources :
¹ Rapport SOFI 2023
² OMS
³ OMS – Définition de la malnutrition
⁴ Rapport SOFI 2023
⁵ Rapport SOFI 2023
⁶ Rapport SOFI 2023
⁷ Rapport SOFI 2023
⁸ Open Letter to UN Member States on the Global Food Crisis
