Living in a two-room small house in Lahore near Mian Mir shrine, Allah Dita, a daily wager has a wife and six children. He earns about Rs 15,000 a month. For him, it is almost impossible to provide the required food for his family members in the small budget.
He has no idea what type of food carries protein, iron, and zinc, etc. He eats meat twice a month. Usually, they cook vegetables which they can buy in their limited budget. He does not recall whether he read or learned about main nutrients and quality of food from any government awareness campaign.
Malnutrition in Pakistan is prevalent due to poverty and non affordability of food because of increasing prices. Almost half of the country’s population is considered malnourished by the experts.
A recent World Bank report highlights that malnutrition costs countries up to 3.0 per cent of the yearly GDP and malnourished children lose 10 per cent of their lifetime earning potential, stressing that malnutrition in Pakistan is the severest in the region.
According to the report, Pakistan ranks below China, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in this region on the prevalence of stunting, micronutrient uptake, adolescent and adult nutrition status and various other indicators directly related with nutrition.
Dr Ashraf Nizami, central President Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), says talking to TNS, malnutrition is a major cause of many increasing diseases in our society. "Short stature, bone problems are major problems these days," he says, adding, "People also don’t care about dietary norms. People are not educated about nutrients, too."
Nizami says the government does not give priority to spreading awareness about diet and food, "malnutrition is directly linked to socio-economic situation, cultural patterns like eating habits and somehow availability of poor quality food." He says malnutrition of a child begins with pregnancy and then it goes on according to the awareness and availability of food.
He urges the government to run effective awareness campaigns through health departments regarding dietary and eating habits to ensure food security for people who cannot get the required intake of food. He says Pakistan seriously lacks a comprehensive nutrition policy for tackling malnourishment in the country.
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According to studies, almost one-third of the children under five years of age in Pakistan are malnourished from deficiencies, such as iodine and iron, resulting into widespread food insecurity that millions of people in the country face almost every day.
Malnutrition and food insecurity mainly affect women and children in Pakistan’s rural areas. Some recent statistics compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) read that 37.5 million people in Pakistan are not receiving proper nourishment. The situation is causing serious deficiencies of protein and iodine, along with other health problems.
According to Global Nutrition report, childhood malnutrition will have a dangerous impact on future development in countries with a fast-growing population, like Pakistan.
Dr Shehla Javed Akram, a nutritionist, says malnutrition is a growing phenomenon in Pakistan due to different reasons in different classes. "A majority of the people who cannot afford food are malnourished because of non-availability of food. While the upper class that can afford food is facing the problem because of eating patterns that have changed due to over-nourishment causing obesity, especially abdominal obesity."
She explains, "Young women are under-nourished as they plan to lose weight. Arthritis is a major problem because of malnourishment. Fast food is causing malnourishment and obesity and obesity causes diabetes."
She says only a balanced diet can provide essential nutrients to the population and people must understand that iron and iodine need to be added in the staple food.