•Malnourished women are more likely to die, face complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and have children born too small
•Despite progress for the rights of adolescent girls and women, millions still struggle to access the nutritious diets
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Girls and women living in rural areas, the less educated or those from poor homes are more likely to be underweight, too short and/or anaemic.
The latest Unicef report shows the prevalence of underweight among adolescent girls and women belonging to poor households stands at 14 per cent.
This is double the prevalence among those from wealthy households which stands at seven per cent.
The report, ‘Undernourished and overlooked: A global nutrition crisis in adolescent girls and women’ says adolescent girls, women and their children are currently food and nutrition crisis which has been worsened by poverty, conflict and climate change.
The report examined the current status, trends and inequities in the nutritional status of adolescent girls and women of reproductive age (15–49 years), and the barriers they face in accessing nutritious diets.
“Malnourished women are more likely to die, face complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and have children born too small, too thin and vulnerable to undernutrition, illness and death,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
From the report, despite progress for the rights of adolescent girls and women, millions still struggle to access nutritious diets.
According to the report, globally, more than one billion adolescent girls and women suffer from undernutrition including being underweight and short in height.
Since 2000, there has been no change in the prevalence of underweight in adolescent girls which has remained at eight per cent.
There has been a small decline in the prevalence of underweight women from 12 per cent in 2000 to the current 10 per cent.
“The prevalence of anaemia remains high and unabated at 30 per cent, and more than two-thirds of girls and women translating to nine per cent suffer from micronutrient deficiencies,” the report says.
The report warns that with rising poverty and inequities in low- and middle-income countries including Kenya, millions of girls and women will turn to cheap ultra-processed unhealthy foods.
These foods are low in essential nutrients and high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.