Nutrition - Chapter 12 (Undernutrition Throughout the World)

Undernutrition in the Developing World

- AIDS - War and political/civil unrest - Extreme imbalances in the food/population ratio - High external (foreign) debt - Poor infrastructure - Rapid depletion of natural resources, such as farmland, fish, and water

Medical and Social costs of undernutrition that can result from hunger

- preterm births - mental disabilities - inadequate growth - poor school performance - decreased work output in adulthood - chronic disease

Summer Food Service Program

- residence in a low-income neighborhood or participation in a program - free, nutritious meals and snacks given to children in a low income area at a central site

Undernutrition in U.S.

45.3 Million people living below poverty line

Recombinant DNA Technology

Allows access to a wider gene pool, and it permits faster and more accurate production of new and more useful microbial, plant, and animal species

Most common regions of food insecurity/malnutriton

Asia and the Pacific

The Green Revolution

Increase in crop yields that accompanied the introduction of new agricultural technologies in less-developed countries

SNAP

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) SNAP offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net.

Inadequate Shelter and Sanitation

The tremendous movement of people to urban settings has caused a population redistribution that has challenged the capacity for shelter and sanitation - most of these urban poor live in overcrowded, self-made shelters which lack adequate and safe water supply - shift from rural to urban life takes its greatest toll on infants and children - poor sanitation creates a critical public health problem and raises risk for infection

Beriberi

Thiamin Deficiency - nerve degeneration

"Let's Grow Act"

U.S. legislators sponsored this bill to expand use of SNAP benefits to purchase produce at farmers markets, encourage food production on vacant land, and connect farmers with preschool programs so that young children would have access to a healthy meal

Home-Delivered Meals

- age 60 or older, homebound -noon meal delivered at no cost or for donation at least 5 days a week

Helping fix food security

- fostered by communities raising and distributing locally grown food - solution lies in helping people meet their own needs and directing them to resources and employment opportunities

Malnutrition

A condition of impaired development or function caused by either a long-term deficiency or excess in calorie/nutrient intake

Food Insecurity

A state of anxiety about running out of food or running out of money to buy more food - 2011, 14.9% of households in U.S. had food insecurity

Sustainable Development

Economic growth that will simultaneously reduce poverty, protect the environment, and preserve natural capital

When is the greatest risk for undernutrition?

Gestation, infancy, and childhood - low birth weight is a leading cause of infant deaths worldwide - many developmental problems are caused by nutritional deprivation during critical periods of brain growth - people in later years also at a great risk

Food Deserts

Impoverished areas with little access to healthy food

Goiter

Iodide Deficiency - enlarged thyroid gland

Ariboflavinosis

Riboflavin Deficiency - inflammation

Impact of AIDS Worldwide

- HIV/AIDS impairs absorption of nutrients, increases nutrient requirements, and decreases the capacity to work - can be infected with HIV through contact with bodily fluids - no official cure to AIDS - diet adequate in energy, protein, and micronutrients can help to lessen the impact of infections associated with AIDS

Agriculture and the Rapid Depletion of Natural Resources

- agriculture is approaching its limits in many areas worldwide - environmentally unsustainable farming methods have been undermining food production

War and Political Unrest

- aside from the economic impact of military spending, civil disruptions and wars are setting back the progress of the poor and contributing to massive undernutrition

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

- certain low income families such as pregnant women - USDA surplus foods are distributed by county agencies

Child and Adult Care Food Program

- children enrolled in organized child care programs and seniors in adult care programs - reimbursements given for meals supplied to children at the side

WIC (for Women/Infants/Children)

- coupons to get milk, cheese, fruit, cereal, infant formula

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

- distributes monthly food packages and includes education nutrition component

Factors contributing to the problem of undernutrition

- food resources - means of distributing of food - environmentally unsustainable farming methods - limited water availability - naturally occurring devastation from droughts, excessive rainfall, fire, crop infestation, and human causes such as urbanization, war and civil unrest, poor sanitation, and AIDS

Congregate Meals for the Elderly

- free noon meal is furnished at side

School Breakfast Program

- free or reduced price breakfast

National School Lunch Program

- free or reduced price lunch

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

- low income elementary schools - provides fresh fruit and vegetables to increase consumption and combat childhood obesity

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Formally Food Stamp)

- low income families - electronic benefit transfer cards

TEFAP (Emergency Food Assistance)

- low income families - provides nutrition assistance to needy Americans through distribution of USDA food commodities

Proposed Solutions

- must consider multiple interacting facts, many thoroughly embedded in cultural traditions - family planning efforts may not succeed until life expectancy increases - through education, efforts should be made to upgrade farming methods, improve crops, limit pregnancies, encourage breastfeeding when it is safe to do so, and improve sanitation/hygiene

Socioeconomic Factors Related to Undernutrition

- poverty - access to healthy food - homelessness

4 Pillars of Food Security

1. Availability 2. Access 3. Utilization 4. Stability

Millennium Development Goals by 2015

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Global partnership for development

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI)

2010 - targeted toward achieving long term progress and eventual relief of poverty and hunger - established to bring grocery stores, corner stores, and farmers markets to underserved communities in America so that children can have more access to healthy foods

The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act

2013 - encourages sustainable agriculture and the growth of local food markets - aimed at counteracting recent cuts to SNAP and other programs that promote health and create opportunities for local and minority farmers

Food Insecure

805 million people / 11.3% of the world population

What are the most critical micronutrients missing from diets worldwide

Iron, Vitamin A, Iodide, Zinc, and various B vitamins as well as selenium and Vitamin C

Famine

Large-scale loss of life, social disruption, and economic chaos that slows food production

Food/Population Ratio

More people than food - lack of contraceptives in developing countries - promoting breastfeeding also contributes to the goal of birth control - possible exception is mothers who are affected by HIV

Pellagra

Niacin Deficiency - diarrhea, dermatitis

Food pantries

Often ineffective because they can give only one box of food to each family per month

Direct Food-Aid

Only a short term solution - experts recommend more sustainable subsistence-level farming - small-scale industrial development is another way to create meaningful employment and purchasing power to vast numbers of the rural poor

One of the biggest factors affecting food insecurity/malnutrition

Poverty

Nutrition Security

Secure access to an appropriately nutritious diet, coupled with a sanitary environment and adequate heath services and care in order to ensure a healthy and active life for all household members

Who used to mainly help the hungry in the U.S

Until early 20th century, often church related organizations provided most help - beginning in early 1900s did government/local/country/state get involved

Xerophthalmia

Vitamin A Deficiency - blindness/restricted growth

Scurvy

Vitamin C Deficiency - delayed wound healing

Rickets

Vitamin D Deficiency - poorly calcified bones

Gender and Development (GAD) Approach

Works towards improving the status of women through the active participation of both men and women