Paris
THE popular belief that child malnutrition is worst in sub-Saharan Africa
is wrong, according to a report from UNICEF. Progress of Nations 1996
states that 50 per cent of South Asian children are undernourished, compared to
30 per cent in Africa. The countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh alone
account for almost half of child malnutrition worldwide.
鈥淚n India, 53 per cent of all under-fives show [growth] faltering by the
criterion of weight for age,鈥� says Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, former director of
the Indian Council of Medical Research, and one of the report鈥檚 authors. The
situation is even worse in Bangladesh, with 67 per cent of children showing
stunted growth.
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The main problem in South Asia, according to UNICEF executive director Carol
Bellamy, is not a lack of food in the countries concerned, but the low social
status of women in the region. When women are poorly nourished and denied access
to healthcare, she argues, their children are likely to weigh less and be
sickly. 鈥淕irls are taken to the health clinic less often,鈥� says Bellamy. 鈥淚t
starts a process that affects the individuals for the rest of their lives.鈥�
One-third of the children born in South Asia weigh less than 2.5 kilograms,
the UNICEF report notes. In sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion is one-sixth.
Thereafter, the growth curve of South Asian babies is normal during the first
four months of life, but as breast milk is withdrawn, their growth flattens out.
The region鈥檚 predominantly vegetarian diet鈥攆illing, but deficient in
calories and protein鈥攎ay be a contributory factor, according to
UNICEF.
Some leading nutritionists question UNICEF鈥檚 conclusions, however. They point
out that the survey lacks figures for a number of African
countries鈥攊ncluding Angola, Burundi, Liberia and Somalia鈥攚here
malnourishment is known to be a particularly serious problem.
Poor nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa is often associated with war and social
upheaval, says Steve Collins, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of
Child Health in London. 鈥淭hose events cause a high level of malnutrition, but
it鈥檚 difficult to study [in war zones] and get accurate data,鈥� he adds.
