Stunting in children

Despite remarkable strides in overcoming poverty, the country still faces major challenges in elevating nutrition levels among children. Around 7.3 million children under five, according to the findings of a joint survey conducted by BRAC and Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia, remain stunted. Moreover, 6.5 million children are underweight and 2.9 million are physically weak.

Stunted growth in children has many public health impacts. It can increase risks of illness and premature deaths. It may result in delayed mental development, affecting a child's learning ability and also lead to reduced cognitive capacity.

Given these concerns and that stunting can be intergenerational, our inability to significantly reduce stunting among children is disappointing. That is because we have not truly ensured that women, young women especially, have the necessary nutrition available to them to give birth to strong children. Child marriage has also been a drawback in keeping stunting in check, as women who are married off at a young age, are naturally not physically ready to give birth. Food adulteration too is a factor, denying children the necessary nutrients and resulting in delayed development.

Such conditions, however, cannot be allowed to persist. In the interest of creating a brighter future, its designers must be made strong in health and in mind now. Awareness to the needs of women's nutrition must be increased. The government should strongly clamp down on food adulteration and ensure proper nutrition for children throughout the country. With strong efforts, we believe the country can overcome the problem of stunting in children as it has many other challenges.