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Stunted growth, also known as stunting or linear growth failure, is defined as impaired growth and development manifested by low height-for-age. [1] It is a manifestation of malnutrition (undernutrition) and can be caused by endogenous factors (such as chronic food insecurity) or exogenous factors (such as parasitic infection).
The nutrition of children 5 years and younger depends strongly on the nutrition level of their mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding. [24] Infants born to young mothers who are not fully developed are found to have low birth weights. [25] The level of maternal nutrition during pregnancy can affect a newborn baby's body size and composition ...
For example, in children under two years of age, iron deficiency anemia is likely to affect brain function acutely, and probably also chronically. Similarly, folate deficiency has been linked to neural tube defects. [73] Iodine deficiency is "the most common preventable cause of mental impairment worldwide."
The nutritional status of children is further indicated by its high (10%) rate of child wasting. [2] Wasting is a significant problem in Sahelian countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – where rates fall between 11% and 19% of under fives, affecting more than 1 million children. [2]
Micronutrient deficiencies are considered a public health problem worldwide. For over 30 years it has been estimated that more than two billion people of all ages are affected by this burden, [1] while a recently published study based on individual-level biomarker data estimated that there are 372 million children aged 5 years and younger, and 1.2 billion non-pregnant women of reproductive age ...
By increasing the amount of nutrition a child receives at school, that child's family's nutrition status also increases as their familial demand and requirement for food is decreased. [16] Targeted take-home rations therefore increase the nutrition of the family as a whole, and not just the members of a given family that are of primary-school age.
For example, in the United States of America, one out of every six children is at risk of hunger. [citation needed] A study, based on 2005–2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Agriculture Department, shows that an estimated 3.5 million children under the age of five are at risk of hunger in the United States. [28]
All children with weight less than 80% of the median weight of children with the same height in the reference population, and/or suffering from oedema, are classified as GAM. [1] The World Health Organization describes Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) as GAM in the 79% - 70% range, and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) as GAM below 70%.