Exposure To Extreme Heat Could Increase Malnutrition in Children in Low-income Countries

According to research from Cornell University, exposure to heat tends to increase both chronic and acute malnutrition in infants and young children in low-income countries, endangering decades of advancement.

Another worrying development is that Nigeria was ranked first in Africa and second overall by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) among the nations with the worst malnutrition rates.

One out of three children in the nation are small-framed, and one in ten is wasted, according to the book The Crisis of Children's Diets in Early Life.

Poor infant feeding practices and mothers' attitudes toward exclusive breastfeeding are a few of the factors that have been identified.

Altough there have been some improvements, the country's rate of exclusive breastfeeding is still well below the global average of 50%.

Extreme heat increases children's malnutrition

(Photo : Alessandro Sacchi/Unsplash)

A study of more than 32,000 West African children aged three to 36 months, with linked survey and geocoded weather data over more than 20 years, discovered that average heat exposure had risen the prevalence of developmental delays from chronic malnutrition by 12%, and of low weight from acute malnutrition by 29%, as per ScienceDaily.

Researchers predicted that the average effect of the heat exposure on stunting will indeed nearly double, erasing gains made during the study period if the average global temperature rises by 2 degrees Celsius, which scientists cautioned is likely without substantial reductions in carbon emissions (1993 to 2014).

The results of linking survey and geocoded weather data over more than 20 years are concerning, according to the researchers, because West Africa's temperatures are rising and are projected to do so for decades to come.

Additionally, the impacts of acute and chronic malnutrition in childhood and adolescence are irreversible and have been linked to higher mortality rates, as well as poorer adult education and income levels.

Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, an associate professor and applied agricultural economist at Cornell, claimed that since we are talking about young children who will experience changes for the rest of their lives, this is permanently damaging their potential.

We are failing to address climate change, which is undermining our efforts to reduce global poverty.

The researchers concluded that strategies to prevent child malnutrition will have to consider increased program requirements during extended hot weather exposure.

Stunting was decreased by 5.8% on average across five West African countries during the study period thanks to improvements in income, infrastructure, and childcare practices.

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Malnutrition harm children

Recent information from the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), for example, showed that millions of newborns in Nigeria are deficient in vital nutrients and antibodies that would shield them from illnesses and death, as per This Day Live.

According to Kamil Shoretire, National Project Manager, Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRiN), about 15 million Nigerian children are malnourished and stunted.

NDHS survey indicated that we have not made any remarkable improvement in terms of nutrition, and this gives us the impression that we may have a humanitarian crisis while we are not at war, Shoretire noted.

Unfortunately, despite being the primary factor in one-third of all child deaths worldwide, malnutrition has not yet received the attention or funding needed in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, stunted growth increases a child's vulnerability to disease and raises the risk of death in young children.

Pregnant women who do not get enough nutrition inevitably give birth to a child who is underweight, which puts the babies' survival in jeopardy.

It is impossible to estimate the human and financial costs of ignoring this issue.

Stunting rates above 40 and wasting rates above 10 are crucial, and therefore, should be treated as an emergency, according to the WHO.

Sadly, that describes the current situation in Nigeria.

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