Poor diet factor in child deaths

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Malnutrition is a major contributor in more than 6 million childhood deaths worldwide each year, but numerous low-cost methods can help reduce its impact, a global research group says.

"Lack of nutrition not only carries enormous human costs, but high economic costs as well," said Richard Skolnik, director of international programs for the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau.

In addition to malnutrition, the group's 2007 World Population Data Sheet highlights findings on global population trends, the environment, AIDS and migration.

The data sheet shows that 30 percent of young children in middle- and low-income families are underweight, with the highest numbers in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

"Poverty and malnutrition are intrinsically linked," the group stated. "Productivity losses, poor cognitive development and increased health care costs in malnourished populations lead to significant economic losses at both the individual and national level.

"Improving nutrition, therefore, can boost mental and physical productivity, improve health status and help alleviate poverty."

Mr. Skolnik said low-cost interventions that can greatly reduce the prevalence of malnutrition include iron supplements, which cost between 55 cents and $3.17 per person per year, and nutrition education, which amounts to $2.50 per person per year.

While some countries have experienced problems related to malnutrition, others, such as the United States, are "overnutritioned," according to Linda Jacobsen, the group's director of domestic programs.

Other countries that have a high percentage of obese adults over the age of 15 are South Africa, with 35 percent of females; Mexico, with 34 percent of females; Morocco, with 21 percent of females; and Italy, with 12 percent of both the male and female populations.

During the 1960s, 49.6 percent of men and 40.2 percent of women in the United States were overweight. Forty years later, that number has increased by 20 percent for both groups.

Even with the sharp increase in overweight Americans, Mrs. Jacobsen said 11 percent of households do not receive enough food to eat each day.

Among the other findings in the data are:

The world's population is expected to steadily grow. Seven years ago, 6.1 billion people lived on Earth, compared with 6.6 billion people today. By 2050, that number will increase to 9.3 billion.

The HIV infection rates are lower than earlier estimates in countries such as Kenya and India. However, the problem still is a "crisis," as more than 4 million people were infected with the AIDS virus last year.

The population of international refugees rose from 8.7 million in early 2006 to 9.9 million by the end of the year. The most significant reason for the increase, according to the data, is the "displacement of Iraqis to other countries, particularly to Syria and Jordan."