Every hour, 100 children under 5 years die of malnutrition in Nigeria, according to The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF). That is, Nigeria loses about 2,400 children to malnutrition daily.
This suggests that high food prices and general food insecurity may already be consuming the lives of babies and toddlers by the hour.
Malnutrition cases are on the rise
According to the Global Hunger Trend, there has been an increase in malnourished children compared to the previous year. In 2023, the proportion of malnourished children increased from 9.3% to 15.9%.
As of last year, 35 million children under five years of age suffered from malnourishment. Also, 12 million children had stunted growth, 3 million wasting from excessive and rapid weight loss, and 23.5 million anaemic. The average reduction in stunting is only 1.4% per year.
Meanwhile, other cases related to malnourishment such as child wasting; child stunting and child mortality, have continued to decline.
Nigerian children suffer from the effects of malnutrition than the global average
When the incidence of malnutrition is compared between adults and children, its impact on children brings worse results.
About seven percent (6.5%) of children under five years in Nigeria experience wasting, above the global average 4.6%.
Worse still, 31.5% of children experience stunting, which is also above the global average of 19.9%.
The worst of all is the fatal consequences of malnutrition in Nigeria. Nigeria’s child mortality rate is 11.7% above the global average of 3.7%.
This is why the global hunger index ranked Nigeria 109th position out of the 125th countries after scoring 28.3% in 2023. The Global Index rate is based on 4 indicators, namely, Undernourishment, Child wasting, Child stunting, and Child mortality.
Globally, in 2022, 149 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for their age), 45 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for their height), and 37 million were overweight or obese.
Malnutrition and Food Inflation are positively linked
Malnutrition (undernourishment) in adults and children increased just as annual inflation rate increased between 2008 and 2023.
While malnutrition increased, its related diseases such as child stunting, child wasting, and infant mortality reduced. The decreased incidence of these childhood diseases could have resulted from interventions by health care givers.
Higher Levels of Malnutrition Looming
The United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF), said Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent of children under five.
The consequent soaring food prices are putting nutritious meals beyond the reach of households in Nigeria. According to the UN, children need food at the right time and develop to their full potential. The most critical time for good nutrition is during the 1,000-day period from pregnancy until a child’s second birthday.
As inflation causes food insecurity, lack of access to adequate food nutrients when they are not affordable and will put many children’s lives at risk. Insufficient nutrients, which include energy, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals, when they are deficient, will lead to m
Families hard hit by these circumstances struggle to adequately feed infants and young children. This leads to malnutrition and other opportunistic diseases that beset poorly nourished young children.
Health Organization findings about Nigeria
In 2022, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), carried out some research regarding the situation of child’s malnutrition in Nigeria.
The aftermath of the agency’s assessment in some Nigerian states says 6 of the 17 million food-insecure Nigerians are children under 5 living in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara states.
It was predicted in 2022 that the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe state will increase from 1.74 million in 2022 to 2 million in 2023.
Also, it is estimated that nearly 4.4 million children aged 0 – 59 months are suffering and will likely continue to suffer from acute malnutrition in the period of May 2023 – April 2024 in northwest and northeast Nigeria. This includes 1.04 million cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 3.37 million cases of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).
Way forward
WHO and UN recommend that infants should be introduced to eating nutritional meals at 6 months, and should be fed frequently in adequate quantities throughout the day with good nutritional values.
For instance, a child’s diet should consist of vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, and protein. Each food group has different nutrients that the child’s body needs to grow and work properly. The 2023 Cadre Report revealed 17.7 million hungry people, with 1 million suffering from acute food insecurity.