Let's Get Serious: Malnutrition

  Chronic hunger is the largest cause of health problems in the world and it is causes enormous, unnecessary suffering for millions of people.  However, the planet has the resources to adequately nourish the entire population.  People who are undernourished are more susceptible to illness and disease.  The cycle of hunger, illness and death will continue until the desire to combat it is stronger than the will to overlook it.  The benefits that ending chronic hunger will have will be felt not only by the people who were relieved of their suffering, but by the entire world population. 

  Walking a mile in another man’s shoes is difficult if you are far-removed from his situation. Often, a thick dividing line separates human emotion from sad realities—it is an all-too-common idiosyncrasy in the United States that if a problem is not affecting you personally then it is not much of a problem at all. This belief is not only selfish and narrow-minded but it also exacerbates the issue at hand; which in this case is malnutrition.  Well-fed and often overfed people in developed nations like the US have a tough time penetrating the divide.  The distance between them and malnutrition is too wide for them to understand it—they do not see it or feel it—which in turn makes it nearly impossible to grasp the issue, sympathize with the people suffering, or do anything to prevent it.  Worldwide, 1.2 billion people suffer from hunger while an equal amount suffers from obesity (overconsumption).

  Nutritional status is fundamental to the growth of young children, their proper physical and mental development, and their health as adults (Skolnik, 2008). It is also closely linked to children’s enrollment in school, their performance throughout, and whether they complete their schooling, which has a profound effect on labor productivity and income (Skolnik, 2008).  Therefore, being deprived of food has a multi-faceted detrimental impact. The effects of hunger are destructive on a global scale as well as within the scope of individual lives.  Awareness of world hunger is essential in order to combat it. Simple human compassion is a stepping stone toward ensuring equality (especially food provision) for all—the principle foundation of America. As Jindrova and De Graaf describe it (2005), “acceptance of world hunger is counter to American values.” While hunger may not be a pressing issue in your life, its existence in the world has very real ramifications.  Alleviating hunger would save millions of people from death and suffering; the benefits would be realized throughout the world.

  The prevalence of malnourishment around the world is greatly underestimated.   More than 150 million children in the world are underweight or stunted in growth (World Health Organization, 2006).  Additionally, of the 10.8 million children who die annually, more than half of those deaths are caused by malnutrition. This is equivalent to 15,000 children dying every day of nutrition-related causes (Skolnik, 2008). Inadequate dietary intake weakens the body, opens people up to infection and illness, and leads to longer and more frequent illness (Potera, 2004).  It is evident that nutrition status largely affects one’s overall health.

  Currently, upwards of 800 million people go to bed hungry every night.  The United States alone could reduce world hunger by 50 percent by the year 2015, and eradicate it by 2025, at a cost of just two cents per American per day--which you can find on your nearest sidewalk (Jindrova and De Graaf, 2005). We can make a difference; it is possible. The means to put an end to hunger are there, it is the will to do it that we are lacking.  For instance, the United States—one of the world’s most powerful countries—spends only .12% of GDP—one eighth of one percent, in overseas economic aid (Jindrova and De Graaf, 2005).  It is estimated that at a cost of just 5.1 billion dollars, 6 million children will be saved.  To make the comparison more real: hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on the war in Iraq each year.

  It may not be an immediate issue in your life, but millions of people are unjustly suffering and dying.  It is up to us to make the decision to take action—and taking action does not demand much; just some spare change. We can manage that, so now there truly is no excuse. Once morality and human compassion catch a second wind, then hunger can be eliminated and the impact will span the globe.  

For more information go to www.silentkillerfilm.org.  To help fight hunger visit www.unicef.org and www.oxfamamerica.org.

Moral of the story? Be thankful for what you have and have the decency to help others who are less fortunate.  You have the 'way,' but do you have the 'will'?

References: Skolnik, R. (2008). Essentials of global health. Jones and Barlett, 125-43.  Potera, C. (2004, October). The opposite of obesity: Undernutrition overwhelms the world’s children [Electronic version].  Environmental Health Perspectives.  Jindrova, H (Producer) & De Graaf, J (Producer). (2005). Silent Killer: The unfinished campaign against hunger [Motion picture]. KCTS/Seattle Public Television.