Breastfeeding can reduce rates of malnutrition and dehydration caused by diarrhea, but mothers are sometimes wrongly advised to not breastfeed their children.[5] Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce mortality in infants and young children.[7] Since only 38 percent of children worldwide under 6 months are exclusively breastfed, education programs could have large impacts on children malnutrition rates.[17] However, breastfeeding cannot fully prevent PEM if not enough nutrients are consumed.[1]