80
3.5.2.2 The Proportion of Population Below Minimum Level of Dietary
Energy Consumption
While energy intake affects the ability of a person to maintain appropriate body
weight and their ability to perform work, it does not measure nutritional intake,
which has a significant impact on health. Children who do not receive healthy nutritional diets have impaired growth and physical development, a phenomenon known
as “stunting.”
Figure 3.6 shows the “prevalence of undernourishment” as a percentage of the
population. Undernourishment is defined as people receiving dietary energy from
their usual food consumption that is below “minimum energy requirement norms”
for their age, gender, body weight, and level of activity. Such people are termed
“underfed.”
For the world as a whole, the proportion of undernourished people dropped from
14.8% (907 million) to 10.7% (786 million) between 2000 and 2015, a 28% drop.
LDCs saw a higher (32%) drop. Because of their substantial populations, China
(40% decrease) and India (a 16% increase) had a significant impact on global averages. It is also worth noting the persistence of about 2.7% prevalence of undernourishment in high-income nations that was mostly unchanged during the period of the
Millennium Development Goals.
Although the trend had been good, the number of undernourished people
increased by at least 30 million in 2016. The FAO reports that “After a prolonged
decline, this recent increase could signal a reversal of trends. The food security situation has worsened in particular in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, South-Eastern Asia,
and Western Asia, and deteriorations have been observed most notably in situations
of conflict and conflict combined with droughts or floods” (FAO 2017).
0%
2000
Year
2005
2010
Least Developed Countries
India
World
China
High Income Countries
2015
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Fig. 3.6 Prevalence of undernourishment (% of the population). (Source: UN Food and Agriculture
Organization. World Bank Indicator Code: SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS)
P. Saundry and B. L. Ruddell
3.5.2.2 The Proportion of Population Below Minimum Level of Dietary
Energy Consumption
While energy intake affects the ability of a person to maintain appropriate body
weight and their ability to perform work, it does not measure nutritional intake,
which has a significant impact on health. Children who do not receive healthy nutritional diets have impaired growth and physical development, a phenomenon known
as “stunting.”
Figure 3.6 shows the “prevalence of undernourishment” as a percentage of the
population. Undernourishment is defined as people receiving dietary energy from
their usual food consumption that is below “minimum energy requirement norms”
for their age, gender, body weight, and level of activity. Such people are termed
“underfed.”
For the world as a whole, the proportion of undernourished people dropped from
14.8% (907 million) to 10.7% (786 million) between 2000 and 2015, a 28% drop.
LDCs saw a higher (32%) drop. Because of their substantial populations, China
(40% decrease) and India (a 16% increase) had a significant impact on global averages. It is also worth noting the persistence of about 2.7% prevalence of undernourishment in high-income nations that was mostly unchanged during the period of the
Millennium Development Goals.
Although the trend had been good, the number of undernourished people
increased by at least 30 million in 2016. The FAO reports that “After a prolonged
decline, this recent increase could signal a reversal of trends. The food security situation has worsened in particular in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, South-Eastern Asia,
and Western Asia, and deteriorations have been observed most notably in situations
of conflict and conflict combined with droughts or floods” (FAO 2017).
0%
2000
Year
2005
2010
Least Developed Countries
India
World
China
High Income Countries
2015
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Fig. 3.6 Prevalence of undernourishment (% of the population). (Source: UN Food and Agriculture
Organization. World Bank Indicator Code: SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS)
P. Saundry and B. L. Ruddell