National President of Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Dr. Tanimola Akande, said on Saturday that Nigeria has the highest number of children with stunted growth who are below the age of five years in sub-Saharan Africa and the second highest in the world.
He stated that 37 per cent of all children under five in the country are classified as being stunted and 19 per cent are severely stunted.
Akande who was represented by the association’s National Secretary, Dr. Sunday Aderigbe spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on the sidelines of the policy dialogue summit of the Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria.
According to him, the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and meaningful economic development will not happen without an urgent improvement in nutrition.
Akande said, “Despite being a lower-middle-income country, Nigeria has the highest number of children under age five who stunded growth in sub-Saharan Africa, and the second highest in the world.
“There are many causes of malnutrition in Nigeria, but the most obvious are poor infant and child feeding practices, lack of access to healthcare, water, and sanitation, and a high level of poverty.”
The Chairman Kwara State Coalition, CS-SUNN, Dr. Mubashir Uthman said Nigeria records approximately 800,000 under-five deaths annually.
According to Uthman, malnutrition is the underlying cause of about 53 per cent of child deaths in Nigeria.
He said a report by National Demography and Health Survey showed that 37 per cent of children under age five are stunted, 18 per cent are wasted, and 29 per cent are underweight.
He noted that the report also indicated 11per cent of women are undernourished while 25 per cent are overweight or obese.
Uthman said, “Malnutrition among women and children is a major challenge to health and human development of any country. Malnourished children have an increased risk of disability and premature death and are highly predisposed to infectious diseases.
“Unfortunately, Nigeria is recording approximately 800,000 under-five deaths every year, accounting for about 11 per cent of total global under-five deaths.”
Uthman called on Government to implement the National Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition (NSPAN 2014-2019) at every level, with emphasis on maternal and child nutrition.
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