Status of Nutrition in Malawi

Nutrition Meeting by Zomba Participants

3.1        Good nutritional status is essential for the health and survival of every individual throughout the life cycle. The body's ability to function normally is impaired when there is insufficient energy and nutrient supply. In Malawi, malnutrition still continues to be a major public health problem with the most vulnerable groups being women and children.

3.2        In recent years, Malawi has achieved tremendous strides in economic development.  Despite the progress, some areas still remain food insecure.

3.3        In Malawi, 4 percent of children, especially those below five years suffer from acute malnutrition. 42% of Malawian children suffer from chronic malnutrition, resulting in stunting (being too short for one’s age). These figures therefore imply that Malawi is one of the countries with high malnutrition incidence in Eastern and Southern Africa. Much is being done by different stakeholders to mitigate the impact of malnutrition but activities are not well coordinated (UNICEF 2013).

3.4        Undernutrition in women and children remains a persistent public health and development challenge in Malawi. Nearly half the children suffer from chronic undernutrition (stunting) and micronutrient deficiencies, including iron and vitamin A. Rural children are more likely to be stunted (48 percent) than urban children (41 percent). There is little regional variation, with stunting high in all the regions: Southern (48 percent), Central (47 percent) and Northern (45 percent). Education and wealth are both inversely related to stunting levels. Though rates of exclusive breastfeeding have increased during early infancy, only 19 percent of children 6-23 months of age receive a minimum acceptable diet, which has a major impact on their growth and development.  The causes of child undernutrition include suboptimal child feeding practices, inadequate diet, frequent incidence of disease among young children, and the low socioeconomic status and poor nutritional condition of many mothers. Up to 50 percent of acute malnutrition is associated with HIV (USAID 2014).

It is evident that the majority of Malawian women, especially those living in rural and peri-urban areas are in a constant state of energy deficit due to poor dietary habits, heavy workload and frequent infections. Consequently, the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) babies, maternal mortality and infant mortality are high. LBW is a proxy indicator of the nutritional status of the mother before and/or during pregnancy. There is also a link between foetal malnutrition, undernutrition and chronic diseases later on in life. Addressing maternal nutrition requires the life cycle approach since the problem tends to start in utero and continues into infancy, childhood, adulthood and old age

Participants Preparing the Zomba Demonstration Garden