Nutrition and Global Health

Amount of total deaths in low and middle income countries directly due to undernutrition

0.5%

Percent of DALYs lost in low and middle income countries related to iron deficiency anemia

0.7%

Number of people affected by anemia between 1993 and 2005

1.6 billion

Amount of babies in low and middle income countries born low birthweight

11%

Number of children that suffer from vitamin A deficiency worldwide

250 million

According to most recent estimates, how many under-5 children are underweight worldwide?

26%

Percent of DALYs lost in low and middle income countries due to low birthweight

3%

Percent of DALYs lost in children under 5 due to zinc deficiency

4%

Percent of all deaths of children under-5 in low and middle income countries that are due to vitamin A deficiency

6.5%

Number of people worldwide affected by iodine deficiency

70 million

Low level of hemoglobin in the blood, as evidenced by a reduced quality or quantity of red blood cells

Anemia

What is the international reference for classifying an individual as obese?

BMI greater than 30

How is undernutrition measured for adults?

BMI less than 18.5

What is the reference for classifying an individual as overweight?

BMI of 25-29.99

Body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared

Body mass index

How is nutritional status of infants and children gauged?

By measuring and weighing them, then plotting weight and height on growth chart

Foods that can be harmful to adults

Containing too much fat, cholesterol, sugar or salt

What are some of the cost effective interventions that can help to reverse malnutrition?

Education Food fortification Exclusive breast feeding for first 6 months

Infants grow best and stay healthiest if exclusively breastfed for how long?

First 6 months

What do iron-deficient pregnant women have an increased risk of?

Giving birth to a premature or low birthweight baby or hemorrhaging and dying in child birth

What is nutritional status intimately linked with?

Health status

What are the three most commonly used indexes for child undernutrition?

Height-for-age Weight-for-age Weight-for-height

How is stunting measured?

Height-for-age two z-scores below the international reference

Poor nutrition impacts maternal health, which affects what?

Household income and health of children

What does the child's position on growth curve indicate?

If they are developing normally

Makes it harder for people to eat, absorb the nutrients they take in, and raises the need for some nutrients

Illness

What does undernutrition cause increased risks for in children?

Illness and decreased intellectual capacity

"Window of opportunity"

In utero of two years of age

Weakens the body and opens it up to infection

Inadequate dietary intake

Immediate causes of malnutrition

Inadequate dietary intake Illness

Deficiency associated with a group on the thyroid called a goiter and the failure to develop full intellectual potential

Iodine

The spectrum includes goiter, hypothroidism, impaired mental function, stillbirths, abortions, congenital anomalies, and neurological cretinism

Iodine deficiency disorders

Deficiency causes iron deficiency anemia which is associated with fatigue and weakness

Iron

How does poor nutrition affect adult workers?

Leads to lower productivity

Birthweight less than 2500 grams

Low birthweight

Refers to those who do not get proper nutrition; whether too little, too much, or the wrong kind

Malnutrition

Various forms of poor nutrition. Underweight or stunting and overweight, as well as micronutrient deficiences are forms of this

Malnutrition

What is zinc deficiency a major risk factor for?

Morbidity and mortality from diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria

Impacts health and human development

Nutrition

The leading risk factor for loss of health in low and middle income countries

Nutrition

Excessive body fat content; commonly measured by BMI.

Obesity

Excess weight relative to height; commonly measured by BMI among adults

Overweight

Refers to those who are nourished to the point of being too heavy for their height or age

Overweight or obese

Who does iodine deficiency occur in?

People who live in mountainous regions where less seafood is consumed & the soil is deficient in iodine

What does undernutrition cause increased risks for in women?

Pregnancy-related death and delivering prematurely

What can nutritional gaps during infancy and young childhood cause?

Problems with stature and mental development Frequent infection

What do children need sufficient amounts of?

Protein and energy Iodine, iron, vitamin A, zinc

What do pregnant women need a sufficient amount of?

Protein and energy Iron, iodine, folate, zinc and calcium

Well-balanced diet necessary for adults

Protein, energy and iron

What does calcium in older adults do?

Reduces risk of osteoporosis

If fetuses do not get sufficient nutrition from their mother, what may they suffer from?

Stillbirth, mental impairment or birth defects

Failure to reach linear growth potential because of inadequate nutrition or poor health

Stunting

Poor nutrition affects children's ability to learn in school, which impacts what?

Their future prospects

Why is Vitamin A important?

To growth and the proper functioning of the immune system

Refers to those who lack sufficient energy or nutrients

Undernourished

Outcome of insufficient food intake and repeated infectious disease

Undernutrition

Poor nutrition

Undernutrition

Low weight-for-age; implies stunting of wasting and is an indicator of undernutrition

Underweight

Refers to those who have low weight for their height or age

Underweight

Deficiency associated with night blindness and eventually, permanent blindness

Vitamin A

Tissue concentrations of vitamin A low enough to have adverse health consequences such as increased morbidity and mortality, poor reproductive health, and slowed growth and development

Vitamin A deficiency

Weight, measured in kilograms, divided by height in meters squared

Wasting

How is overweight measured by children?

Weight-for-height two z-scores above the international reference

A statistical term, meaning the deviation of an individuals value from the median value of a reference population, divided by the standard deviation of the reference population

Z-score

Deficiency is associated with growth retardation, impaired immune function, skin disorders, hypogonadism, and cognitive dysfunction

Zinc

Second most important micronutrient responsible for death and DALYs in children under 5

Zinc

Iron deficiency is a substantial public health problem for who?

children under-5 and pregnant women