Nutrition and Health A Global Concern Chapter 24

Terms: The Hunger Problem n Hunger: weakened state caused by long term lack of adequate food

n n n Malnutrition: poor nutrition from inadequate diet or condition that prevents the body from using nutrients effectively Starvation: lack of food needed to sustain life Famine: extreme scarcity of food for an extended period (years)

n Developing nation: low economic level of living standards and industrial production

n n Food Security: access to food needed for a healthy life Underweight: weight below a healthy range

n n Stunted – below average height and not catching up Wasted – severe weight loss with destruction of body tissue

Statistics n n n 6, 000, 000 -world population 8, 000, 000 -projected 2025 140, 000 -deaths daily worldwide 365, 000 -births daily 840, 000 -in 3 rd world countries

The Hunger Cycle 2. Low Birthweight baby –prone to disease and early death 1. Pregnant mother eat inadequate diets 3. Babies don’t get nutrients and immunity from breast milk due to undernourished mother 6. Adults with poor health, no skills, lack food for family 4. Children endure inadequate diet, 5. Children show lack interest and learning due to malnutrition

• • • “Food insecurity” means that one more people in the household were hungry because of the inability to afford food 17. 3 million people lived in households that were considered to have "very low food security, “ Black (25. 7 percent) and Hispanic (26. 9 percent) households experienced food insecurity at far higher rates than the national average.

United Nations Report on the Nutritional Status in Developing Countries n n n Undernutrition-20% of world doesn’t get enough calories per day Malnutrition-190 million children underweight Vitamin A deficiency-affects eye functions & body development Iodine deficiency-can cause brain damage or cognitive impairment in newborns Iron deficiency-anemic: prone to infection, fatigue, uncontrollable bleeding Zinc deficiency-poor growth, suceptible to infection

Why should anyone care? n n Political: situations in one country affects other countries due to global interdependence, political unrest & Economic-with higher incomes, families can afford foods imported from other countries Humanitarian-having food is a human right & meets basic human needs Compassion-sense of sadness for suffering, with desire to stop it

Primary Causes of Hunger 7 Causes of Hunger 1. Poverty 2. Overpopulation 3. Natural Disasters 4. Government Policies 5. Environmental Factors 6. Culture 7. Inadequate Education

Global Solutions Truths & Myths n People go hungry because there is not enough food n Hunger exists where there are too many people to feed n Produce more food using technology n Feed the hungry in poor countries

n Foreign aid is the most effective way to end hunger n Everyone wants to end hunger n Hungry people are too ignorant to change