Fighting malnutrition, the hidden hunger

Malnutrition is a complex problem and can manifest as under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micronutrient deficiency. Although fighting malnutrition is now a priority in many countries like Bangladesh, it has not yet got the attention it deserves. Even in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), nutrition goal is not clearly provided, in MDG-1 which is “Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty by 2015”.
Two highly complex and multi-layered social problems were addressed under one goal in MDG-1. Eradicating extreme hunger alone does not deal with the more complex problem of malnutrition which is also known as the “hidden hunger.”
Even though the link between extreme poverty and malnutrition is undeniable, poverty is only one of the multiple determinants which cause malnutrition. Thus, growing recognition of this issue in development circles led to nutrition being termed as the “hidden MDG.”
An overwhelming body of evidence suggests that achieving good sustainable nutrition for a country’s population is beyond the scope of any one sector. It requires the culmination of multi-sectoral actions in the areas to be truly successful: agriculture and food security, health, fisheries and livestock, women empowerment, social justice and human rights, public and private sectors, education, safe water accessibility, sanitation and hygiene, poverty reduction and livelihoods etc.
In response to this realisation, the United Nations established the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement — a global collective which seeks to build a multi-sectoral nutrition strategy in countries where malnutrition remains a key problem.
In Bangladesh, one of the more nefarious ways malnutrition manifests in children is when they have low height for their age (short stature). This condition, although referring to  physical stunting, also affects the  cognitive abilities of a child and affects his or her ability to grow and learn, experience a healthy life, earn a livelihood and eventually contribute to a country’s economy. Unfortunately, 41% of the children in Bangladesh are stunted. However, we have a simple, yet highly effective, set of interventions which can dramatically reduce stunting rates in our children.
We can do this by intervening during the “1,000 days window of opportunity” — the time period from when a mother conceives a child to the child’s second birthday. By ensuring proper nutrition during pregnancy, exclusively breastfeeding the child for six months following birth and introducing complementary foods till the second birthday, families can dramatically reduce stunting rates in our children. We need to educate our communities, especially mothers and family members, on these proven low cost-high impact practices.
It is high time to act on nutrition. Non-government organixations have already started mobilising nutrition efforts across the country. Now, we need political consensus to rally around the nutrition agenda and give this movement the much needed push it requires.

The writer is a Senior Sector Specialist in BRAC’s Health, Nutrition & Population Programme and is writing on behalf of the Civil Society Alliance for Scaling Up Nutrition in Bangladesh.
E-mail: sswahid21@gmail.com