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