6.2: Nutrition
Ensure nutritional well-being of all Malawians. Other Information:
Nutrition is associated with health in the sense that malnutrition can lead to ill health. Malnutrition is both a cause and
a consequence of poverty in developing countries and continues to retard economic growth and development. The effect of under
nutrition is wasting, under-weight, stunting and mental retardation, which has far reaching consequences. A poorly nourished
body is primary and highly susceptible to infections such as Tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections,
HIV and AIDS. Under nutrition is a factor commonly associated with maternal and child/infant mortality. Protein-energy malnutrition
(PEM) is very high in Malawi, with under-five children stunting at 48.0 percent; wasting at 5.0 percent, increasing to 9.0
percent during the lean periods. Micronutrient malnutrition such as sub-clinical Vitamin A deficiency is at 80.0 percent of
pre-school children, 38.0 percent of school age children, 57.0 percent of child-bearing age women and 38.0 percent in men.
Anaemia is at 73.0 percent of pre-school aged children, 22.0 percent of school aged children, 46.0 percent of non-pregnant
women, 47.0 percent of pregnant women, and 17.0percentofmen.IodinedeficiencydisordersarealsocommondespiteMalawi's adoption
of Salt Iodization Act. It is estimated that 64.0 percent of children have low Intelligent Quotient (IQ) in areas with high
iodine disorders. The underlying causes of under-nutrition include household food insecurity resulting from inadequate food
production or low incomes; poor child feeding and care practices; inadequate education and lack of knowledge which lead to
poor food processing and utilization and sometimes cultural beliefs which deny women and children consumption of high nutritive
value foods. In addition, poor institutional coordination of nutrition programmes has also been a big constraint.
Indicator(s):
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