Ugo Aliogo examines the menace of child malnutrition in Nigeria, as stated in the recent report of the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF)
Malnutrition in children has a wide range of causes, which could be immediate, underlying, or basic. Globally, climate change, increased insecurity, political instability, and lack of adequate resources (human, economic, social), are basic determinants of malnutrition in children. Climate change has a huge effect on agricultural production, which in turn limits household access to food supplies. This, experts say, will further lead to inadequate dietary intake in children and ultimately malnutrition. The heightened insecurity has also affected agricultural production, access to farmlands, transportation of food supplies, and access to health facilities. These have limited the availability of food for consumption, particularly for children, and this increases the risk of malnutrition.
The 2018 National Demography Health Survey, (NDHS), said 37 per cent of Nigerian children aged between 0 to 59 months are stunted, seven per cent are wasted (thin for their height); 22 per cent are underweight (thin for their age), and two per cent are overweight (heavy for their height).
According to the NDHS, South-west has less than seven per cent of global acute malnutrition and moving up North, it is direr with North-west showcasing 57 per cent in stunting. Only the South-east fared a little low with 18 per cent of children stunted.
UNICEF Report
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) Humanitarian Situation Report through its 2022 Nigeria Humanitarian Action for Children between January and June, has revealed that it admitted 154,697 children 6-59 months old (53 per cent girls) with severe acute malnutrition for treatment in Northeast Nigeria (vs. 158,377 mid-year targets) and 109,247 children (53 per cent girls) in the Northwest (vs. 112,397 mid-year target).
The report stated that in the North-east, a 22 per cent increase in admissions of severely malnourished children has been observed in nutrition centres across the Northeast compared to the previous year.
The report noted that humanitarian situation monitoring results indicated high levels of acute malnutrition among new arrivals from inaccessible areas, with Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) at 16.9 per cent and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) at 6.3 per cent, worsened by poor water and sanitation access and poor health conditions. Overall, 4.1 million people are projected to have crisis level food needs in 2022 according to the most recent Cadre Harmonisé; and 1.3m children to be acutely.
According to the report, “Findings on the SAM prevalence from the last Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) survey highlighted that the LGAs most affected by the 2 per cent SAM threshold were in northern Sokoto. In addition, most SAM admissions, especially in Katsina are from communities where community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programs are not available. To address this, UNICEF is currently supporting comprehensive nutrition surveillance in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina.
“The report is planned to be released by mid October and will cover all the LGAs and group them based on similarities in the level of malnutrition. During the reporting period, 16 additional government-run OTP sites were established in Kurfi, Dutsinma, Musawa and Matazu LGAs, Katsina State, based on survey findings, and UNICEF is in the process of supporting the opening of two stabilization centers in Goronyo LGA, Sokoto State and Gusau LGA, Zamfara State to add to the three current SCs located in Sokoto and Zamfara being supported by MSF. “
Global Nutrition Report
The global nutrition report explained that Nigeria is on course to meet one of the targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN), adding that no progress has been made towards achieving the target of reducing anaemia among women of reproductive age, with 55.1 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years now affected.
The report revealed that there is insufficient data to assess the progress that Nigeria has made towards achieving the low birth weight target, nor is there adequate prevalence data.
The report remarked that some progress has been made towards achieving the exclusive breastfeeding target, with 28.7 percent of infants aged 0 to 5 months exclusively breastfed. Similarly, Nigeria has made some progress towards achieving the target for stunting, but 31.5 percent of children under 5 years of age are still affected, which is higher than the average for the Africa region (30.7 percent).
The report added: “Nigeria has also made some progress towards achieving the target for wasting but 6.5 percent of children under five years of age are still affected, which is higher than the average for the Africa region (6.0 per cent). The prevalence of overweight children under 5 years of age is 1.6 per cent and Nigeria is on course to prevent the figure from increasing.
“Nigeria has shown limited progress towards achieving the diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD) targets. The country has shown no progress towards achieving the target for obesity, with an estimated 15.7 per cent of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 5.9 per cent of adult men living with obesity. Nigeria’s obesity prevalence is lower than the regional average of 20.7 per cent for women and 9.2 per cent for men. At the same time, diabetes is estimated to affect 6.8 percent of adult women and 7.5 per cent of adult men.”
Report of INGOs
According to a report by International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) under the aegis of Joining Forces for all Children, has stated that the world is facing a hunger and nutrition crisis of unprecedented scale with one child already being pushed into severe malnutrition every minute, and 8 million children are at risk of death in 15 crisis-affected countries unless they receive immediate treatment, world’s largest child focused have said.
The report stated that globally, almost 50 million people are living in emergency or catastrophic levels of acute hunger.
Meanwhile, the CEOs of the six NGOs, united under the Joining Forces Alliance, expressed their shared concern about the devastating impacts of famine and hunger on children.
“The impact of such sheer volumes of people experiencing extreme hunger will have devastating and lifelong impacts on children’s rights to health, nutrition, education, protection and survival if we don’t act now,” it said. The INGOs are Plan International, Save the Children, Child Fund, World Vision, SOS Children’s Village and Terre des Hommes International Federation.
In 2017, through international a collective effort and action famine was averted in Somalia.
On their part, the CEOs said: “As an international community we have a collective responsibility to ensure that urgent action is taken to prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children. We cannot wait for famine to be declared before acting. More than half the deaths in the 2011 Somalia famine, where 260,000 tragically lost their lives, took place prior to famine being declared. Half of all those who died were children under five years of age.
“As organisations that work directly with children, families and communities around the world, we see daily the devastating toll that the compounding effects of conflict, climate change, Covid-19, and the ripple effects of the conflict in Ukraine are having.
“The hunger and nutrition crisis is already having profound consequences for children including, threatening child survival and protection and increasing the risk of severe and acute malnutrition. Children are at heightened risk of violence, exploitation and abuse due to dropping out of school, forced labour, recruitment and use by armed forces or armed groups and family separation. Children without parental care are especially vulnerable to food insecurity and its multiple effects.”
Experts Opinion
On his part, PLAN International, Livelihood Specialist, Kolawole Awoyinka, said: “Malnutrition is known to be directly linked to diseases and this occurs as a result of limited access to health services.”
He hinted that to tackle malnutrition, all hands must come together to ensure that the factors leading to malnutrition in children are addressed holistically.
He remarked that furthermore, the government has a vital role to play particularly in addressing the basic causes of malnutrition which includes climate change, insecurity, political instability, and limitations in resources.
Awoyinka averred that the government and other development partners need to come up with strategies to address the basic causes. Insecurity is one of the leading drivers of malnutrition.
He further explained that there is a need for the government and the partners to address the heightened insecurity which limits access to farmlands, and agricultural production as well as disrupts the supply chain, adding that policies that would create the effects of climate change, political instability, and limitations in resources should be developed by the government in partnership with other key stakeholders.
According to him, “There is need to ensure the sustainability of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions being provided by development organizations, there is a need for the government to participate in such interventions and also take ownership. In curbing malnutrition, Africa as a continent will have to work as a unit in addressing the drivers of food insecurity.”
Tackling Malnutrition
UNICEF has put in place a programme to support the government to implement the National Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition by strengthening health and community systems and fully integrating nutrition into all aspects of the primary health Care (PHC) system, with a particular focus on Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Interventions and Micronutrient Supplementation.
Awoyinka expressed confidence that there is some level of commitment by the government to address malnutrition, though this is not adequate for now, there is a need for more effort, and these efforts can range from complementing the interventions being, “supported by development organizations to taking ownership of such interventions and increase budgetary allocation for addressing this issue.”
He appealed for the need for more research into home-based solutions that are affordable, simple and ecological friendly for the poor households who are usually the victim of mal-nutrition, noting that with support from foreign aid and more commitment by the different government agencies, African governments have the capacity to tackle malnutrition.
As part of scaling commitment, Oyefeso revealed that the first thing is to strengthen the child’s protection legal framework that will enforce adequate provision for children.
She advocated that there is need to create more awareness about the issue of child malnutrition and education parents/guardians on food nutrition and how to identify any health condition that might hinder a child from have a balanced diet.
According to her, “Africa needs to re-strategies its policies and spend its emergency food funds effectively. Provide adequate resources and educating the farmers and other citizens, including students in all level of education programs about the benefits of food production and reduction of waste. The support/partnership of private sector is very important, especially in providing resources.”
