Malnutrition among children high

Written by Staff Reporter

Monday, 12 July 2010 16:55

HARARE - Over a third of the country’s children under the age of five years are at risk of dying due to malnutrition according to a United Nations survey.

Officially launching the Zimbabwe National Nutrition Survey, the United Nations Children’s Education Fund(UNICEF) Country representative to Zimbabwe Dr Peter Salama called for accelerated action to reverse the serious problem of chronic malnutrition.
“The data emerging from the survey provides irrefutable evidence of the magnitude of the problem of malnutrition in Zimbabwe. These levels of malnutrition are unacceptably high. They represent not only a challenge to reaching our development goals but will also constraint economic growth” he said.
Food and Nutrition council Acting Director George Kembo, said there was need for continued placing of nutrition at the centre of national development agenda, which should be guided by evidence.
"The survey provides a good baseline for prioritisation and decision making at national and sub-national levels. It is high time that FNC, the co-ordinating body for food and nutrition analysis and response in Zimbabwe, is supported to reinvigorate its multi-stakeholder policy and action,” he said
The report also showed extremely low and deteriorating trends in exclusive breastfeeding, recorded at 5.8%, and considered to be one of the key underlying factors for under nutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding is a scientifically proven highest impact intervention to prevent malnutrition and mortality. If universally practiced it can result in 13% reduction of under five mortality.
Furthermore only about 8% of children below the age of two years old receive the minimum acceptable complementary foods in terms of quality and diversity. In addition, over a third of the children reside in households not accessing safe water and sanitation facilities. These factors appear to be directly linked to under nutrition.
Access to health and nutrition services is also reported to be poor as indicated by only a quarter of the women currently receiving micronutrient supplements during pregnancy and soon after delivery considered to be critical for both the health of the baby and the mother.
The study argues that unless under nutrition is aggressively addressed, the country will remain off track in meeting Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)1 and 4 targets. The survey clearly demonstrated that the age of greatest vulnerability to malnutrition and infection is from pre-natal period to 24 months and identifies this period as “the critical window of opportunity’.
The survey, which had a sample size of nearly 40 000, was designed to provide government and its development partners with nutrition information to drive national and sub-national level prioritisation and decision making.
The survey will help gauge Zimbabwe’s progress on the implementation of the (MDGs).

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