Report Names Causes Of Nutritional Crisis Among Children, Predicts Worsening Condition

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By MATTHEW UKACHUNWA, Lagos



Rising poverty, inequality, conflict, climate-related disasters, and health emergencies, such as Novel CoronaVirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, are contributing to an ongoing nutrition crisis among the world’s youngest population.
The above information is part of the findings of a new report by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report, “Fed to Fail? The Crisis of Children’s Diets in Early Life,” was released ahead of the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit taking place this week.
The report warned that the current children’s dietary crisis has shown little signs of improvement in the last ten years.
In a news statement dated September 22, 2021 and titled: “Young Children’s Diet Show No Improvement in Last Decade, ‘Could Get Much Worse’ Under COVID-19,” UNICEF Nigeria said that during crucial period when children begin to transition to solid foods, “just 1 in 3 are fed a diet diverse enough to grow well.”
“Children under the age of 2 are not getting the food or nutrients they need to thrive and grow well, leading to irreversible developmental harm, the new report released by UNICEF on Wednesday declared..

 “The findings of the report are clear: millions of young children are not being fed diets adequate for their growth and development,”  Rushnan Murtaza, UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative, said. “Poor nutritional intake in the first two years of life can harm children’s rapidly growing bodies and brains, impacting their futures. Now more than ever, with the ongoing COVID-19 disruptions, we need to reimagine a food system that improves the diets of young children, including in Nigeria.”  
In an analysis of 91 countries, including Nigeria, the UNICEF report found that half of children aged 6-23 months globally are not being fed the minimum recommended number of meals a day, and that two-thirds do not consume the minimum number of food groups they need to thrive.
According to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, in Nigeria, among children aged 6-23 months, only 23 per cent have the minimum necessary dietary diversity, and only 42 percent have minimum adequate meal frequency.
 “As COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential services and drive more families into poverty, the report found that the pandemic is affecting how families feed their children. 
UNICEF stated that according to a study conducted in Nigeria last year, Nigerians were already largely unable to afford healthy diets due to pre-existing food security challenges, with an estimated 40.1 percent of Nigerians unable to cater for their food expenditure. “It is likely that this will only be worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic,” UNICEF while expressing concern..

 It lamented that children carry the scars of poor diets and feeding practices for life. 
An insufficient intake of nutrients found to support growth at an early age puts children at risk of poor brain development, weak learning, low immunity, increased infections and, potentially, death, the international authority on children’s well-being elaborated.

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