One in four suffer from malnutrition
According to a recently launched study by the World Food Programme (WFP), a quarter of the population suffer from a lack of proper and balanced diet and one in three children suffer from stunted growth. Although we have claimed for some years that Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food production, the latest findings come as a wakeup call. What is new to us all, including policymakers, is the impact underage marriage is having on malnutrition of children and adults alike. The costs of malnutrition is estimated at USD1 billion a year to the economy, but this can change if prudent measures are taken to address the problems at the root level.
It is good to learn that the finance minister has promised to give more emphasis on allocating more funds in the next budget to address the issue of teenage marriage. The issue remains a social problem and requires a village-level awareness campaign that can be successfully launched if non-stake actors and media are made partners in this most crucial of issues. We also need to raise awareness among mothers on the need for the right type of nutrition that their children must consume in the first three years of birth.
A third of the population suffering from stunting translates into a third of the future labour force being less than productive. The data should serve as an eye opener for policy planners on where resources need to be allocated and better spent. It requires prioritising proper nutrition as a safeguard for a healthy population – one that will not prove to be a burden on the State in later years.
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