Malnutrition Case Study

Malnutrition is a serious concern across the globe. With an increase of malnutrition there are increasing rates of disease. Therefore, global health is extremely affected by this. In order to assess this problem, we must first be educated and understand how and why certain populations are affected. With knowledge and the willingness to help others, we can hope to continue to decrease the rates of malnutrition. The first step in tackling the issue of malnutrition is to understand it. Undernutrition and obesity are the two concerns here. Malnutrition means that there is a deficiency of appropriate nutrition in the body. Undernutrition is a deficiency of nutrients as a result of not enough food or appropriate food. Obesity is a condition of

According to a fact file created by the World Health Organization (2012), Anemia, wasting, stunting, and death are all conditions that often result from undernutrition. One fact states that anemia is often common in adolescent girls. They also found that it affects 42% of pregnant woman globally. Lack of essential nutrients in these developing girls along with early pregnancies leads to the occurrence of anemia. Wasting occurs when there is a severe condition of undernutrition. According to the facts by the WHO, wasting results from deficiencies of food made worse by the presence of illness. This kills nearly 1.5 billion children annually. People who live in extreme poverty are very susceptible to this. Stunting, which is when a child is too short for their age, also commonly results from malnutrition. The WHO found that about 165 million children are stunted across the globe. Stunted children suffer from poor learning and brain development as well. Africa and Asia account for the majority of stunted children in the world. All of these conditions can potentially lead to death. According to the WHO, 1/3rd of child deaths are a result of undernutrition. The rate of overweight individuals is occurring simultaneously with rising rates of undernutrition. According to the WHO, “The result is a double burden of malnutrition.” (WHO,

that promote positive nutrition abroad. One of these is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The UNICEF is a nonprofit organization that is supported by contributions from several donors including the government, organizations, foundations, and private individuals. Their mission: “We work for the survival, protection and development of children worldwide through fundraising, advocacy and education” (UNICEF, 2016). For every dollar that is received, 90 cents goes toward helping children. Three of the several countries that UNICEF provides services for are Iraq, Nepal, and Syria. The UNICEF provides food, water, vaccines, shelters, and temporary schools for these developing countries. Along with national organizations there are also organizations in the U.S that provide local