malnutrition

Obesity levels balloon in children

February 3, 2022 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

Many poor countries are now facing a “double epidemic” of malnutrition and obesity.

Childhood obesity has accelerated in many countries during the pandemic as children sit still at home for longer, often in front of a screen.

A global study published in 2017 in The Lancet projected that if the trends seen at the time continued, by 2022 obesity in children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years would surpass for the first time the share who were underweight.

That prediction now appears to have come true, reports The Economist.

Where obesity in children is most prevalent is somewhat surprising. More than a quarter of the world’s overweight children under the age of five live in Africa and 48 per cent are in Asia.

Children’s eating habits and levels of physical activity have changed for the worse during the pandemic. In Germany, for example, 28 per cent of three- to five-year-olds engaged in less physical activity and 20 per cent consumed more sugary snacks during the pandemic.

In rich countries, childhood obesity is concentrated in poor families.

In poor countries, however, it is a middle-class problem – so as average incomes rise, more children are moving into the overweight zone. Many poor countries are now facing a “double epidemic” of malnutrition and obesity.

Bleak aged care nutrition requires food for thought

July 19, 2019 by sheen

Aged care nurses have called for nutritional care standards to be bolstered and for safe staffing to be introduced to achieve better health outcomes throughout residential aged care facilities.

A report ‘Food for Thought: Nutrition & Hydration in Resident Aged Care’ released by the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) highlights the increased risk of malnutrition among aged care residents due to poor nutritional meals and a skeleton workforce.

NSWNMA Acting General Secretary, Judith Kiejda, said 35% of aged care members reported they didn’t have enough time to help a resident eat or drink as a result of competing workloads.

“This report paints a very stark picture of daily life for aged care residents,” Ms Kiejda said.

“Mealtime, which should provide social engagement and enjoyment for residents, is often hampered by understaffing.

“Age care residents are more prone to becoming malnourished, dehydrated and deprived of an opportunity to connect with others because the majority of nursing staff are being run off their feet.

“It is worrying that 29% of our members surveyed had transferred a resident to hospital due to dehydration or malnutrition within the past year.

“We also know skills mix is also a contributing factor, particularly in residential aged care facilities with only one registered nurse employed for over 150 residents. Staff in these facilities were 12% more likely to lack the time to help residents eat and drink, compared to facilities with a ratio of one registered nurse to less than 50 residents.

“Nutrition is not a luxury item, it is an essential element of basic care and a human right.

“Without adequate nurse staffing, guidance and regulation our elderly are not receiving the care and compassion they should be afforded in residential aged care settings,” said Ms Kiejda.

The NSWNMA is part of an ongoing national campaign for minimum staff to resident ratios to be introduced across the aged care sector. For details visit www.ratiosforagedcare.com.au

Download this release: Bleak aged care nutrition requires food for thought

The three big threats to life

April 1, 2019 by Rayan Calimlim

Food systems are the drivers of obesity and under-nutrition and they also generate more than a quarter of global greenhouse emissions, says a new Lancet report.

The Lancet Commission – a group of 43 world-leading experts in agriculture, economics, human rights and other fields – says the interplay of obesity, under-nutrition and climate change poses an enormous threat to humanity.

Malnutrition, whether it is under nutrition or obesity, was by far the biggest cause of ill-health and premature death globally, the Lancet obesity commissioner Professor Steven Allender, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Excess body weight affects two billion people worldwide, while two billion people also suffer from micronutrient deficiency and both problems are expected to be made significantly worse by climate change,” Professor Allender said.

“Food systems not only drive the obesity and under- nutrition pandemic but also generate more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, with cattle production accounting for more than half of these emissions.

“Car-dominated transportation systems support sedentary lifestyles and generate between 14 and 25 per cent of emissions,” Professor Allender said.

Climate change’s extreme weather events, droughts, and shifts in agriculture will drive up rates of under nutrition by increasingly threatening food security, according to the report.

The latest report is the second by the Lancet Commission on the impact of nutrition and food systems on human and planetary health.