Malnutrition causes people to become dangerously thin, being too short for one's age, lacking vitamins and minerals (such as iron which makes you anaemic), or even being too fat (obese). Malnutrition is measured with these 3 terms:
1. Wasting is an indicator of acute malnutrition that shows a recent and severe process that has led to weight loss. This is usually the result of starvation and/or disease.
2. Stunting is an indicator of chronic malnutrition that reflects the long-term nutritional situation of a population. It is calculated by comparing the average height for age of a child with a reference population of well nourished and healthy children.
3. Underweight is measured by comparing the average weight for age of a child with a reference population of well nourished and healthy children. About 146 million children in developing countries are underweight.
What are the effects of malnutrition?