Three food basket regions face malnutrition

DESPITE being in the list of food basket regions in the country, Rukwa, Njombe and Iringa are among five regions whose population, especially children, are facing high level of stunting.
 
Speaking during a workshop this week in Morogoro, Mkuranga District Council Nutrition Officer, Ms Sophia Boniface, said the 2015/16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) showed that prevalence of stunting in Rukwa, Njombe, Iringa, Geita and Kagera regions were above 40 per cent.

According to the nutrition expert, poor planning in term of food intake and consumption of the same type of food is the major reason behind such poor nutritional phenomenon. The survey, according to Ms Boniface, indicated that stunting in Rukwa was 56.3 per cent while Njombe had 49.4 per cent.

In Kagera, the rate of stunting was 41.7 per cent while Iringa had 41.6 per cent and Geita had 40.5 per cent. According to the nutritionist, the survey showed rural areas were affected more by undernutrition than urban areas, while urban areas were affected more by overweight and obesity than rural areas.

According to survey, stunting rate in urban areas was 24.7 per cent compared to 37.8 per cent in rural settings. Ms Sophia said sensitising the public on consumption of balanced diet was of great importance, with local government leaders seen as people who are required to play an important role.

However, inclusion of nutrition subject in the basic education curriculum is also seen as an important step that might help address the problem. The nutrition officer listed causes of malnutrition as including inadequate or excess dietary intake, infectious diseases, inadequate maternal and child care and poor access to health services, unhealthy environment and poverty.

Individuals who are vulnerable to malnutrition are children under five years of age, women of reproductive age especially pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls due to their physiological needs for growth and reproduction.

Ms Boniface, however, made it clear that malnutrition can manifest itself in the forms of overweight and obesity which is an indication of excessive intake of nutrients or under nutrition which denotes inadequate intake of such ingredients.

She warned that overweight and obesity often leads to development of diet related non-communicable diseases (DRNCDs), including type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardio-vascular diseases, weight related joint pains and several types of cancer, hinting that about a third of cancers are thought to be diet related.

Speaking on effects of malnutrition, the nutrition officer said at global level, the burden was enormous as figures showed about 41 million children of under five years of age and 600 million adults were affected by obesity.

She said under nutrition - was responsible for about 45 per cent of deaths of children under-five years - which was about 3 million per annum. Over 159 million children were stunted while 2 billion people were suffering from essential micronutrient deficiencies.

According to Ms Boniface, economic burden was also huge, as up to 11 per cent of the world GDP was lost to measures instituted to address maternal and child under nutrition while 2.8 per cent of GDP was lost to obesity.

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