In South Sudan, the prevalence of undernutrition explained by stunting, underweight and wasting in under-five children were 23.8%, 4.8% and 2.3% respectively.Vitamin A deficiency affects one third of children under age 5 around the world, leading to 670,000 deaths and 250,000–500,000 cases of blindness. In adults
As of June 2021, 1.9 billion adults were overweight or obese, and 462 million adults were underweight. Globally, two billion people had iodine deficiency in 2017. In 2020, 900 million women and children had anemia, which is often caused by iron deficiency.Certain groups have higher rates of undernutrition, including elderly people and women (in particular while pregnant or breastfeeding children under five years of age). Undernutrition is an increasing health problem in people aged over 65 years, even in developed countries, especially among nursing home residents and in acute care hospitals. In the elderly, undernutrition is more commonly due to physical, psychological, and social factors, not a lack of food. Age-related reduced dietary intake due to chewing and swallowing problems, sensory decline, depression, imbalanced gut microbiome, poverty and loneliness are major contributors to undernutrition in the elderly population. Recent increase
There has been an increase in world hunger over the past decade. In 2015, 795 million people (about one in ten people on earth) had undernutrition. In 2020, one in nine people in the world—or 820 million people worldwide—was hungry.These increases are partially related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to highlight the weaknesses of current food and health systems.
Many newly made mothers face financial barriers; community-based healthcare workers have helped to alleviate these barriers, while also providing a viable alternative to traditional and expensive hospital-based medical care. Recent studies, based upon surveys conducted from 1995 to 2010, show that exclusive breastfeeding rates have risen globally, from 33% to 39%. Despite the growth rates, medical professionals acknowledge the need for improvement given the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. 21st century global initiatives
Starting around 2009, there was renewed international media and political attention focused on malnutrition. This resulted in part from spikes in food prices and the 2008 financial crisis. Additionally, there was an emerging consensus that combating malnutrition is one of the most cost-effective ways to contribute to development. This led to the 2010 launch of the UNs Scaling up Nutrition movement (SUN).In April 2012, a number of countries signed the Food Assistance Convention, the worlds first legally binding international agreement on food aid. The following month, the Copenhagen Consensus recommended that politicians and private sector philanthropists should prioritize interventions against hunger and malnutrition in order to maximize the effectiveness of aid spending. The Consensus recommended prioritizing these interventions ahead of any others, including the fights against malaria and AIDS.In June 2015, the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched a partnership to combat undernutrition, especially in children. The program was first implemented in Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Laos and Niger.