The Journey to End Malnutrition

when people think of malnutrition

the images of adults and children

suffering from malnutrition in africa is

generally what they think about

however did you know that malnutrition

impacts people in our own communities

as well as many people across the world

in different countries

malnutrition is a widespread problem and

unfortunately

many people do not know the scope of

this problem well

for starters 690 million people across

the globe are undernourished

moreover 1.9 billion adults are obese

obesity is a form of malnutrition that

we don’t give much attention to

so it’s important that we target all

forms

spreading awareness is just one step we

can take

to ensure that we can prevent as many

cases of malnutrition

as possible in the coming years i’m here

today to speak to you about each of the

different groups of malnutrition

but also to inform you about how you can

make a difference

my name is vindya adamala and i’m an 8th

grade student from washington state

and here is my take on malnutrition

malnutrition is one of the world’s

biggest problems however there’s

different groups of malnutrition

differentiating between these groups is

just as important as taking action

against it

the first group is under nutrition

obesity or being overweight is another

group micronutrient-related malnutrition

is the last group

these three categories are most commonly

known around the world

each of these different categories can

be broken down and have a different

effect on the human body

undernutrition for example generates

this devastating phenomenon known as

stunting

stunting refers to when you’re below the

average height for your age

stunting related malnutrition is often

related to poverty or poor maternal

health

this highlights the importance of having

access to proper nutrition

especially when you’re pregnant poor

nutrition can affect

can negatively affect a growing baby and

can also negatively

affect their life after they are born

another common condition for

undernourished people to endure

is known as wasting wasting refers to

when you’re underweight for your height

it often indicates a very recent or

pretty severe weight loss

wasting is also associated with kids and

adults who have recurrent or prolonged

diseases due to their condition

wasting can also be a trigger from

another larger issue such as pre-birth

malnutrition

being underweight is also very frequent

to undergo with

under nutrition an underweight child has

chances of being wasted

stunted or sadly in many cases even both

having deficiencies in essential

vitamins and minerals is also a common

experience

in particular undernutrition makes

children more susceptible to illnesses

and death

obesity on the other hand is something

that doesn’t commonly come to mind when

we think of

malnutrition however obesity is becoming

more and more significant

in the conversation about malnutrition

for example in the united states

obesity rates rose from 30.5 percent to

42.4 percent in the years of 2000

to 2018. this rapid increase in obesity

is due to a mix of socioeconomic factors

i would be elaborating on those factors

a little later on

when it comes to micronutrient-related

malnutrition it might seem rare

however it’s quite the opposite many

people are afflicted with micronutrient

related malnutrition

every single year and it prevents their

bodies from getting essential vitamins

and minerals needed to further develop

a common example of this would be iron

deficiency

10 million people in the united states

are iron deficient

and an additional 5 million have been

diagnosed with anemia

in global public health terms iodine

vitamin a

and iron are the most important and

their deficiency is a significant health

threat

from areas of nigeria to yemen and many

other places around the world

the most extreme form of malnutrition is

severe acute malnutrition

severe acute malnutrition takes the

lives of many including a lot of young

children

it’s an extreme condition that leaves

its young victims very frail and in many

cases even skeletal

research findings indicate that severe

acute malnutrition

can be controlled at the community level

using therapeutic

specially formulated ready-to-use foods

in children over the age of six months

with no other medical complications as

you can see

we’re starting to make progress and the

difference that can be made in lives

battling to stay alive can really be

ginormous if we pay attention to this

dreadful issue

malnutrition impacts can also be really

devastating

it can have permanent impacts on lives

especially for your child

it can lead to diet related

non-communicable diseases including

heart attacks and strokes

you’re also at risk for developing

certain types of cancers

permanent physical and cognitive damage

can also be done

you’re also sadly at risk for developing

some more mental illnesses

and sometimes it’s really hard to

understand the magnitude of a problem

until we see it right before our eyes

so it’s time for an activity as you can

see on the screen

there are three people standing these

three people represent the worldwide

population

now you can see that two out of these

three people have taken a seat

the last person standing shows us how

much of the worldwide population has

malnutrition

so when we convert this to the lens of

speaking about everyone

we can see that roughly one-third of the

whole entire population

has malnutrition which is a significant

amount and is even more significant

when malnutrition can be preventable in

many cases

the ongoing coven 19 pandemic has

influenced our daily life practices

but also negatively impacted the lives

of many the rate of malnutrition is

is rising in our communities and we must

shed light on this issue

as you can see here there has been a

rise in malnutrition and food insecurity

since the coven 19 pandemic has started

discrimination and socioeconomic factors

also push certain demographics into a

sinkhole of malnutrition

for example people of color are at a

higher risk of developing

nutrition-based issues at a younger age

and are less likely to receive treatment

for it

another major socio-economic factor to

consider is income

according to the washington department

of health as household income rises

the amount of fruits and vegetables

consumed in that household rises as well

as education levels rise we see a

similar rise in the consumption of

fruits and vegetables

this allows us to see that malnutrition

rates rise in communities

with fewer income and lower resources

we also see that malnutrition rises

all throughout the world on a daily

basis gender is also a key factor that

plays into the role of malnutrition

a woman is more likely to experience

food insecurity

when compared to their male counterparts

in bill gates called malnutrition the

greatest lost opportunity in global

health

luckily there’s a way that you can make

a difference

there are so many agencies working

locally and globally to end malnutrition

globally organizations such as unicef

the world food program and the world

health organization

organization as well as many others all

work toward properly nourishing

everybody

luckily food banks help communities get

the resources they need to stay

appropriately nourished i encourage you

to donate to local food banks as well as

global organizations

as a way to help out however if you

can’t donate due to many reasons

there are also so many steps you can

take

in the united states approximately one

pound of food per person

gets wasted every single day a simple

way you can help out

is by not wasting as much food at home

telling a family friend or peers about

this issue is another great way to help

i also really encourage the use of

social media

as a way to spread awareness since many

people revolve around the usage of it

every single day

i have also made a website with

reference materials and more in-depth

information

about this issue the link is being

projected right now

now i hope you understand that

malnutrition is a worldwide issue

and can often branch from another larger

issue health discrepancies around the

world lead to malnutrition

malnutrition can also be found in people

every single day

a lot malnutrition can also be broken

down into different subsections that are

often overlooked

but i also want you to understand that

since malnutrition is so significant

the impact that it has is not just for

people in africa

but also someone that you may know

directly

and as the leaders of tomorrow it’s

really up to us to make a difference

so let’s work together to end

malnutrition

thank you

you