There are 60 million children below 5 years old stunted, 45 million underweight and 8.8 million overweight in South East Asia. Anaemia affects approximately 96 million young children and 202 million women.
Malnutrition bears a high health and socioeconomic cost. Undernutrition contributes to about 45% of preventable deaths of young children annually. Increased overweight and obesity underpin the high noncommunicable disease rates and consequent premature mortality. In total, the economic cost of malnutrition in countries is estimated to range from 2 to 3 per cent of their gross domestic products.[1]
In Bangladesh, one out of five adult people is overweight [2] while over one third of the children below five years old are stunted and nearly the same percentage are underweight [3].
In addressing the issue, WHO developed Strategic Action Plan to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in the South-East Asia Region 2016–2025 that will serve Member States as an advocacy and reference tool to ensure that interventions covering all forms of malnutrition are addressed comprehensively in country policies, strategies and actions.
On the World Food Day, under the theme Healthy Diet, WHO reaffirms its commitment in supporting the Government of Bangladesh to improve population’s nutrition AND FOOD SAFETY, reduce diseases associated with malnutrition and contribute to a healthier lifestyle of the country.
Reference:
- 1 Strategic Action Plan to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in the South-East Asia Region 2016–2025
- 2 Global Health Observatory (GHO) data: Overweight and obesity
- 3 SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON NUTRITION: Estimating the Costs, Impact, and Cost-Effectiveness, and Economic Benefits of Expanding the Coverage of Direct Nutrition Interventions in Bangladesh