- Childhood malnutrition results in reduced productivity and high costs of health-related treatment of malnutrition
- It also results to high education costs due to class repetition and absenteeism
Image: HANDOUT
Kenya is losing 373.9 billion every year to malnutrition, experts have said.
This is equivalent to 6.9 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
Veronica Kirogo, Director and Head of Nutrition and Dietetics Services at the Kenya Ministry of Health said malnutrition in children has resulted in reduced productivity, high cost of treatment and high education costs due to class repetition and absenteeism.
Kenya continues to grapple with triple burden of malnutrition characterised by undernutrition, hidden hunger and overnutrition.
To address this, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the government have unveiled a Sh5.3 billion plan to reach more than seven million Kenyans with healthier diets.
GAIN Kenya country director Ruth Okowa said the ambitious and transformative business plan has been informed by the high rates of malnutrition and shifts in food consumption preferences that lean towards ultra-processed and unhealthy foods.
“There is a growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to sustainably feed the growing population on safe, nutritious, affordable and healthy diets," she said.
"We’ll therefore continue working with the private sector and other development partners to support government's efforts to increase access to safe and nutritious foods.”
GAIN will invest $8 million (Sh1 billion) per year to improve access to healthier diets through five key strategic pillars that will strengthen the enabling environment for actions that improve the consumption of healthier diets.
According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022, 18 per cent of children between six months and five years are still stunted. Five per cent are wasted, 10 per cent are underweight and three per cent are overweight.
World Health Organization says malnutrition is deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilisation.
The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases.
Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight and micronutrient deficiencies.
WHO defines wasting as low weight-for-height. It usually occurs when a person has not had food of adequate quality and quantity and/or they have had frequent or prolonged illnesses.
“Stunting is defined as low height-for-age. It is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poverty, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness and/or inappropriate feeding and care in early life," it says.
"Stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential. Underweight is defined as low weight-for-age. A child who is underweight may be stunted, wasted or both.”
Micronutrient deficiencies are a lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for body functions such as producing enzymes, hormones and other substances needed for growth and development.
KDHS says one in every five children under five years is still stunted.
Further, three in five pre-school children have low vitamin A status and a third are iron deficient, significantly increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality.
About 36 per cent of pregnant women are iron deficient, putting them at risk of haemorrhage, sepsis, maternal mortality, perinatal mortality and low birth weight.
Okowa said the evolving face of malnutrition demands a multi-faceted response that supports nutritious and healthy diets across all the stages of the food system.
“In view of this, GAIN Kenya, in collaboration with the Government and other stakeholders has been working towards improving the nutrition and health status of Kenyans. These efforts have culminated in increased policy influence in counties, development of the Food Fortification Strategic Plan 2018-2022 and the establishment of Food Safety Coordination Committee in Counties,” she said.
“Over 200 micro, small and medium enterprises have received tailored technical assistance, innovation accelerator capital or emergency funding to promote supply of healthy and safe foods.”
Okowa said they have also supported more than 200,000 farmers to grow nutrient-enriched beans to enhance their availability.
This is in addition to development of a prototype Food System Dashboard which is housed in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
She said despite the progress made in addressing the challenge of malnutrition, several challenges still exist.
These include weak policy and institutional frameworks to support consumption of safe, affordable and healthy diets.
High cost of healthy and nutritious foods, shifts in food consumption preferences due to changing culture and lifestyles.
In addition to inefficient food supply chains and rising vulnerability due to climate change, price-shocks and pandemics.
“Vulnerable populations, especially those at the base of the pyramid, are faced with food affordability issues while there is limited funding to scale up operations at national and county level," Okowa said.
"The above challenges informed the design of GAIN Kenya Business Plan 2023- 2027 that seeks to increase access to healthier diets for all.”