National President of Association of Public Health
Physicians of Nigeria, Dr. Tanimola Akande, said on Saturday that Nigeria despite
being a lower-middle-income country has the highest number of children with
stunted growth who are below the age of five years in sub-Saharan Africa and
the second highest in the world. Nigeria accounts for about 11 per cent of
total global under-five deaths. A report by National Demography and Health
Survey showed that 37 per cent of children under age five are stunted, 18 per
cent are wasted, and 29 per cent are underweight.
“There are many causes of malnutrition in Nigeria, but the
most obvious are poor infant and child feeding practices, lack of access to
healthcare, water, and sanitation, and a high level of poverty,” Akande
explained.
Dr. Mubashir Uthman said Nigeria records approximately 800,000
under-five deaths annually. According to Uthman, malnutrition is the underlying
cause of about 53 per cent of child deaths in Nigeria.
“Malnutrition among women and children is a major challenge
to health and human development of any country. Malnourished children have an
increased risk of disability and premature death and are highly predisposed to
infectious diseases,” Uthman said.
The NDHS report also indicated 11per cent of women are
undernourished while 25 per cent are overweight or obese.
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