Concern at the prevalence of stunted growth among children
By: Okoro Chinedu 2015-01-23 14:08
Abuja – A coalition of local civil society organization expressed concern at the increasing percentage of stunted growth of children in the country.
A press statement jointly signed by Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Health, Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) after the 31st National Scientific Conference said the problem was prevalent across all six geo-political zones of the country.
Organizations pointed out that malnutrition caused poor intellectual performance at schools and increases cases of chronic disease attack in children.
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It was worrying as a research recently shows nutritional status of children across the geo-political zones to be between 19 percent and 55 percent, the organisation.
They thus solicited for urgent action by the government to accelerate economic progress and reduce stunting of children in the country.
Whilst the principal cause for stunted growth in children used to be regarded as simply malnutrition, there is increasing agreement that lack of sanitation and associated diseases, such as recurrent diarrhoea, intestinal worm infections and a condition called environmental enteropathy have all been cited as important causes.
