What Are the Causes of Malnutrition?

Although most people have felt hunger at some time in their lives, hunger is not the same thing as malnutrition. Malnourished people lack the nutrients for proper development and health. While some can be malnourished for a short time period, others suffer from continual malnutrition, getting sick and even dying. According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one person out of 12, worldwide, suffers from malnutrition. This includes 160 million malnourished children, less than five years old. In over half of children's deaths, malnutrition is involved. Malnutrition is not because of only a single reason, but is a complicated condition involving multiple factors.

Identification

Malnutrition is a condition that's a result of someone not receiving enough nutrients. It may be caused by unbalanced or inadequate diets, digestion problems or other medical conditions. Poor economies or environmental crises, such as droughts or weather disasters, can cause a shortage of critical foodstuffs where a portion of the population suffers from malnutrition. On the other hand, malnutrition can also be caused from poor eating habits when food is abundant.

Hunger

Hunger is one of the most common causes of malnutrition, with poverty as the main factor. Hunger is even worse when it strikes children, as it can damage their physical and mental development, not only when young but for a lifetime. What's more, it also hinders an adult's ability to be productive and creates many health problems.

Natural Disasters and Wars

When natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, strike a country, it's easy for nutritional needs of the people to be deficient. Also, conflicts and wars can cause people to lack proper nutritional foods, resulting in diarrheal disease or illness. This can be seen when people are forced to flee their country during a war, such as the 3 million refugees fleeing fighting in northern Pakistan in May 2009.

Inadequate Care of Women and Children

A lack of care for women and children, especially in Third World countries, is another basic cause of malnutrition. This has only recently been acknowledged as causing malnutrition. When pregnant women are given inadequate nutrition, their children also suffer from malnutrition. Also, poor hygiene at home and careless handling of food leads to malnutrition, increasing the threat of illness.

Unsafe Water and Poor Sanitation

According to a report of "The State of the World's Children," about 1.1 billion people lack safe drinking water or suitable sanitation. These conditions lead to infectious diseases spreading, causing childhood diarrhea, which leads to major malnutrition. Roughly 2.2 million children under the age of five die from diarrheal dehydration.

Over-Consumption of Unhealthy Foods

Besides underprivileged countries such as Uganda and India, malnutrition can occur in richer countries. Consuming more calories than needed can cause malnutrition just as not eating enough calories. Over-consumption of unhealthy foods usually goes along with deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals. For example, various food companies sometimes entice people to buy sugary and fatty foods, filled with empty calories and deficient in nutrients. This can result in weight problems and obesity to people who are already not physically active.