Malnutrition is a widespread but often overlooked problem that is frequently left untreated due to a lack of attention. However, experts consider malnutrition to be a cause of various diseases, and it can also be a consequence of certain illnesses. Therefore, it is essential that governments worldwide address this issue.
The importance of tackling malnutrition becomes clearer when considering its potential to threaten public health and impose social and economic burdens on governments. In April 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2016-2025 the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. The goal of this decade is to accelerate policy commitments that lead to measurable actions to address all forms of malnutrition. The aim is to ensure that everyone has access to healthier and more sustainable diets to eradicate all forms of malnutrition worldwide.
In Iran, news of malnutrition problems occasionally surfaces. Recently, Mohammad Esmail Motlagh, head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Health and Food Security, announced that eight provinces require more attention to nutrition. These provinces include Kerman, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormuzgan, Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Ilam, which are all located in the southern part of the country and have been warned about food insecurity. These provinces are economically disadvantaged, and their nutrition indicators, which are directly related to income, are not satisfactory. Food security refers to all individuals in a society having access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout their lives to lead healthy and active lives. Household income is a crucial factor in ensuring food security in a social system.
It appears that officials have taken notice of the importance of addressing the nutritional status of provinces. In late March this year, the head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Health and Food Security stated that food security is the top priority for the secretariat in 2024, as emphasized by late president Ebrahim Raisi. According to Motlagh, the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad must produce and supply food, while the Ministry of Health and Medical Education must control and monitor food safety from farm to table. The ministries must submit reports on their actions to the Supreme Council within three months. The Iranian Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare must also announce its plans to improve access to a desirable food basket for low-income households. The Secretariat of the Supreme Council is responsible for monitoring the actions of executive bodies and reporting to the President's office. No negligence in the food and medicine sectors can be tolerated, and profiteers who play with people's lives for the sake of profit must be pursued and punished according to the law. Providing protein and calories for low-income groups is one of the top priority programs. (president.ir, April 9, 2024)
390 million worldwide suffer from underweight
When we hear about malnutrition, the common assumption is that people can only become malnourished if they don't eat enough. To get a better grasp of malnutrition, it's best to refer to the World Health Organization's definition. According to the WHO, malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excessive intake, or imbalances in energy and nutrient consumption. The term malnutrition encompasses two broad categories: undernutrition, which includes stunted growth, thinness, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies; and overnutrition, which is linked to obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
Based on this definition, the most common causes of malnutrition are food insecurity and lack of access to affordable food. Other prevalent causes of malnutrition include inability to prepare food, digestive problems, nutrient absorption issues, excessive alcohol consumption, and mental health disorders.
Malnutrition is a widespread issue that affects people in every country, the World Health Organization says. An estimated 890 million adults worldwide live with obesity, while 390 million people are underweight. About 37 million children under the age of 5 are overweight, while 149 million children suffer from stunted growth. Plus, 571 million women of childbearing age worldwide – or 30% – are affected by anemia, with nearly half of them able to benefit from iron supplements.
Many families can't afford enough nutritious foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, meat, and milk, while high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods and drinks are cheaper and more readily available. This has led to a surge in the number of overweight and obese children and adults in both poor and wealthy countries. In reality, this obesity is the flip side of malnutrition, where individuals gain weight on cheap, low-quality foods while failing to get the nutrients they need.
Iran on track to combat malnutrition
A new report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) titled "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World" offers fresh hope for Iran's efforts to combat malnutrition. According to the report, Iran has made progress in reducing malnutrition between 2021 and 2022. FAO statistics show that during this period, 6.1% of Iran's population faced malnutrition, down from over 7% between 2018 and 2020.
In another part of the report, FAO ranked 167 countries by their malnutrition rates, with Iran placing 90th. This means that 77 countries have higher malnutrition rates than Iran. Notably, Iran has moved up 12 places in the global rankings since the previous assessment, when it ranked 102nd between 2018 and 2020.
Madagascar topped the list with the highest malnutrition rate in the world, with 51% of its population affected. The lowest rates were reported in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Austria, China, France, Germany, and the United States, where less than 2.5% of the population faced malnutrition between 2021 and 2022.
Much of the malnutrition worldwide affects children, with 149 million children under 5 years old suffering from stunted growth due to malnutrition. Iran has also taken steps to combat child malnutrition. According to Ahmad Esmailzadeh, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health's Nutrition Improvement Office, a nutrition support program for children under 5 has been highly successful, improving severe malnutrition and wasting in 40% of cases. The program, launched in October 2022, provides monthly food assistance to children in the first five deciles, with a monthly budget of 122 billion tomans. Of the 179,519 children referred by the Ministry of Health, 133,690 were eligible for the program based on the results of a nutritional assessment test.
As a result, the nutrition support program led to a 57% improvement in cases of severe stunting, with complete recovery in 26% and improvement in 31% of children under the program. Additionally, about 57% of cases of stunting improved, with 32.5% achieving complete recovery and 24.4% showing improvement. (IRNA, May 28)
Given the direct link between public health and national development, combating malnutrition should be a top priority for the government. As food security was a key concern for the former president, it is hoped that the new president will continue on this path and drive Iran's success in combating malnutrition.
NOURNEWS