How many people worldwide are affected by malnutrition? Aside from the direct effects of undernutrition--being underweight, hungry, or starving--what is one problem associated with undernutrition?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Correct answers vary but could include that roughly 795 million people are affected by these problems, which are the result of inadequate, or totally unavailable, food supplies and poor and unbalanced diets. Undernutrition is a form of malnutrition involving an inadequate intake of nutrients, including calories, vitamins, and minerals. Developing countries now increasingly suffer from a "double nutritional burden," with some people not having enough to eat and others eating too much, especially of the wrong kinds of food. Undernutrition creates difficulties that continue throughout the life cycle and is responsible for stunted growth, lower levels of schooling, lower productivity, and chronic diseases; undernourished women also give birth to low-weight infants. Undernutrition has also been linked to rapid weight gain and obesity among formerly underweight children. Undernutrition is related to problems not only for individuals but also for societies as a whole. It leads to underdevelopment and tends to perpetuate poverty. Without adequate nutrition, the human capital needed for economic development cannot develop.