Conference Outcome Document - Rome Declaration

2010 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 20 - June 23, 2010, 2010

Malnutrition is a general term for medical conditions caused by an inadequate diet and poor nutrition. Hunger and malnutrition are among the major difficulties confronting many countries around the world. Malnutrition can be caused by several factors, such as the sharp increase in population (current world population is approximately 6,800,000,000), poor distribution of foods, lack of access to highly nutritious foods, and most important, lack of knowledge about healthy diets. Malnutrition can lead to other problems, such as reduced school attendance, learning capacity, spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and it can have a negative effect on a nation's development. The objectives of this study are: 1) to review the occurrence of global malnutrition, and 2) to discuss potential solutions to this challenging problem. For example, over three billion people are affected with micronutrient malnutrition in the developing world. Lack of micronutrient components such as iodine, zinc, vitamin A and iron can lead to maternal mortality, diseases such as HIV, and other problems. Over 146 million children under five are underweight and children often die because of malnutrition. There are many challenges to overcome malnutrition, and to provide food security for people. UNICEF, WFS and other organizations are trying to help malnourished children by sending food aid, but this is not enough, and there are still many places in which food security does not exist. According to the FAO organization, food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious foods to meet their dietary needs. So, to develop and distribute nutritious, widely available, low cost foods, which can be consumed by many people around the world is of great importance.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2018

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2015

Nutrition in Health and Disease - Our Challenges Now and Forthcoming Time, 2019

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2019

2015

There is sufficient capacity and resources in the world to ensure adequate food and good nutrition for everyone. Nevertheless, in spite of progress made over the last two decades, an estimated 805 million people still suffer from chronic hunger defined here as lack of the necessary calories to cover the minimum energy needs. Among children, it is estimated that 171 million under five years of age are chronically malnourished (stunted), almost 104 million are underweight, and about 55 million are acutely malnourished (wasted). Micronutrient deficiencies, or “hidden hunger”, affect over two billion people worldwide, impeding human and socio-economic development and contributing to the vicious cycle of malnutrition and underdevelopment. At the same time, an estimated 1.4 billion people are overweight and 500 million are obese. Beyond the ethical dimensions of this complex problem, the human, social and economic costs to society at large are enormous in terms of lost productivity, healt...

Food & Nutrition Journal, 2017

Journal of the Obafemi Awolowo University Medical Students’ Association, 2023

Malnutrition, with its wide range of harmful effects on individuals and society, is one of the health challenges plaguing the world. Malnutrition is classified as either overnutrition or undernutrition. Body Mass Index and specific measurements such as abdominal circumference are useful diagnostic tools in determining these conditions. Studies have reported an increased in global prevalence of malnutrition across various regions around the world. Low and middle-income countries have been reported with the highest rates of malnutrition. Malnutrition is related to a wide host of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc. This relationship is supported by the existence of factors such as weight, linking an individual's nutritional status with non-communicable diseases. The capacity-load model also explains how factors responsible for an individual's linear growth predispose them to certain diseased conditions. Due to its various detrimental impacts, it's recommended that efforts should be made towards the adoption of healthy nutritional lifestyles by individuals and the development and implementation of beneficial nutritional policies both at the national and global levels to assist in bringing a stop to this menace.

JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, 2013

Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) represents a critical public health concern worldwide. Numerous surveys indicate a prevalence of 20%-30% at the time of admission to hospital. The impact of important aspects, such as the policy of the state, its economy, as well as the historical burden, which may influence the prevalence of DRM, has rarely been analyzed. Our study proved that all those factors do have an important impact on the problem and that DRM represents an issue, comparable in terms of scale, worldwide. Moreover, the research showed that the intensity and methods adopted to fight malnutrition differ significantly among countries. This appears to be directly associated with real successes in some countries, and little progress elsewhere. This should be discussed in an open forum, so that countries can learn from each other.

Global Journal of Health Science, 2011

Malnutrition is a global crisis especially in developing countries. Micronutrient deficiency is a "hidden hunger" and as such has been neglected over the years leading to malnutrition crisis. Nigeria is one of the developing countries that are experiencing malnutrition crisis. This paper therefore highlights scientific evidence of positive impact of micronutrients on human function and proven sets of nutrition intervention strategies as a stimulus for taking decisive action to combat malnutrition.