Malnutrition, hidden hunger and obesity: how children suffer from poor nutrition
UNICEF recently published a report on the situation of children in the world, 2019. This report talks about how children eat. Yes, hDue to malnutrition, children face many difficulties and diseases - 149 million children under the age of 5 are still lagging behind in growth, and almost 50 million suffer from exhaustion. But at the same time the rates of overweight are growing rapidly. We have gathered the most interesting and important things from this report and tell you what the situation with children’s nutrition in the world looks like.
Every second child suffers from hidden hunger
Due to poor nutrition, children suffer from malnutrition, hidden hunger and overweight. Thus, according to a UNICEF study, every third child in the world under the age of 5 grows poorly because of poor nutrition, the most noticeable manifestations of which are stunted growth, exhaustion and overweight.
At the same time, every second child under the age of 5 suffers from hidden hunger caused by a lack of vitamins and other essential nutrients. It is not so easy to notice the hidden hunger, experts say. After all, a child can consume a lot of food, but, at the same time, lack vitamins. With hidden hunger, the child will have a deficiency of iron, which reduces his ability to learn.
In addition, the rates of overweight and obesity continue to grow. Only in the period from 2000 to 2016 the share of overweight children (aged 5 to 19 years) increased from 1 to 10 to 1 to 5. This trend is observed on all continents except Africa.
46% of teenagers eat fast food once a week
This situation has developed for a number of reasons. First of all, experts note that today children eat too many harmful and very few useful foods. A UNICEF report says that many families prefer highly processed products (various semi-finished products, smoked meats, etc.), which may contain large amounts of saturated fat, sugar and sodium with little essential nutrients and fiber.
Speaking of teenagers, 42% drink carbonated soft drinks at least once a day, and 46% eat fast food once a week. In addition, teenagers often skip breakfast and do not eat fruit. Due to the large amount of unhealthy foods in the diet, it often lacks whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids.
Nutrition problems often last from an early age, when children are not getting the right amount of nutrients as babies. Experts write that 44% of children aged 6 to 23 months do not eat fruits and vegetables, and 59% do not eat eggs, dairy products, fish or meat.
"Children under the age of 2 can get an average of a quarter of the energy consumed from foods such as cookies, instant noodles and juicy drinks, which reduces their consumption of essential vitamins and minerals. Children who ate most of these snacks and beverages were shorter than their peers, ” the study said.
UNICEF is actively working to address this issue. The organization notes that it is necessary to increase the supply of better products and create higher demand for these products. In addition, it is also important to conduct regular research, collect tests, etc. to understand how the situation is developing.
But we should not forget that parents should first of all think about the nutrition of their children, because it is on them all the responsibility and it depends on them whether their child will grow up healthy.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko Photo by
Unsplash UNICEF Graphics Read also: Life. Next will be: The right rhythm of the heart An online service has appeared in Ukraine
Every second child suffers from hidden hunger
Due to poor nutrition, children suffer from malnutrition, hidden hunger and overweight. Thus, according to a UNICEF study, every third child in the world under the age of 5 grows poorly because of poor nutrition, the most noticeable manifestations of which are stunted growth, exhaustion and overweight.
At the same time, every second child under the age of 5 suffers from hidden hunger caused by a lack of vitamins and other essential nutrients. It is not so easy to notice the hidden hunger, experts say. After all, a child can consume a lot of food, but, at the same time, lack vitamins. With hidden hunger, the child will have a deficiency of iron, which reduces his ability to learn.
In addition, the rates of overweight and obesity continue to grow. Only in the period from 2000 to 2016 the share of overweight children (aged 5 to 19 years) increased from 1 to 10 to 1 to 5. This trend is observed on all continents except Africa.
46% of teenagers eat fast food once a week
This situation has developed for a number of reasons. First of all, experts note that today children eat too many harmful and very few useful foods. A UNICEF report says that many families prefer highly processed products (various semi-finished products, smoked meats, etc.), which may contain large amounts of saturated fat, sugar and sodium with little essential nutrients and fiber.
Speaking of teenagers, 42% drink carbonated soft drinks at least once a day, and 46% eat fast food once a week. In addition, teenagers often skip breakfast and do not eat fruit. Due to the large amount of unhealthy foods in the diet, it often lacks whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids. Nutrition problems often last from an early age, when children are not getting the right amount of nutrients as babies. Experts write that 44% of children aged 6 to 23 months do not eat fruits and vegetables, and 59% do not eat eggs, dairy products, fish or meat.
"Children under the age of 2 can get an average of a quarter of the energy consumed from foods such as cookies, instant noodles and juicy drinks, which reduces their consumption of essential vitamins and minerals. Children who ate most of these snacks and beverages were shorter than their peers, ” the study said.
UNICEF is actively working to address this issue. The organization notes that it is necessary to increase the supply of better products and create higher demand for these products. In addition, it is also important to conduct regular research, collect tests, etc. to understand how the situation is developing.
But we should not forget that parents should first of all think about the nutrition of their children, because it is on them all the responsibility and it depends on them whether their child will grow up healthy.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko Photo by
Unsplash UNICEF Graphics Read also: Life. Next will be: The right rhythm of the heart An online service has appeared in Ukraine