According to the UN organisation for children, Unicef, the number of pregnant women and girls who are undernourished has increased by 25% in the previous two years.
According to its analysis, the poorest nations in the world—like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan—have been most adversely affected.
According to Unicef, there are more than one billion malnourished women and teenage girls around the globe.
It claims that recent crises like Covid and conflict have made it harder for them to access the food they need.
The international community has been encouraged by Unicef to prioritise food security, especially through assisting failed nutrition programmes.
It emphasised the negative effects that malnutrition is having on kids' health.
According to data analysis of women in the majority of nations in the world, the Unicef research revealed that one billion undernourished women and adolescent girls were "underweight and of small height" as a result.
Also, it was discovered that they had anaemia and a lack of crucial micronutrients.
The heart of the nutrition issue among teenage girls and women "remains South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa," according to the research.
It was discovered that 60% of the women and teenage girls there were anaemic and that 68% of them were underweight.
Unicef stated that inadequate nutrition during girls' and women's lives might result in decreased defences, subpar cognitive growth, and a higher chance of life-threatening problems, especially during pregnancy and delivery.
Furthermore, malnutrition might have "severe and irrevocable implications for their children's life, growth, learning, and future earning potential," according to the statement.
"51 million children under the age of two are stunted worldwide. We believe that during pregnancy and the first six months of life, when a child is totally reliant on the mother for nourishment, around half of these kids become stunted, the report added.
According to Unicef, among the 12 countries considered to be in a food crisis, the number of pregnant or nursing women suffering from acute malnutrition increased from 5.5 to 6.9 million between 2020 and 2022.
They include Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Yemen, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
Unicef CEO Catherine Russell warned that the effects might continue for future generations if the international community does not take quick action.
"We must also address malnutrition in teenage girls and women to avoid undernutrition in children," she continued.
Unicef urged for necessary legislative steps to "increase large-scale food fortification of habitually eaten goods such as wheat, cooking oil and salt" to help reduce micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia in girls and women.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0