Citation
Popkin, Barry M. (2021). To Assist the Large Number of Countries Facing the Double Burden of Malnutrition We Must Understand Its Causes and Recognize the Need for Policies That Do No Harm.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 113(4), 765-766.
Abstract
Globally, from Latin America to sub-Saharan Africa to Asia, we find a surprisingly high and rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight, even though stunting remains high also (1). Stunting, linked to poor nutrition and poor environmental conditions in the first 1000 d from conception through infancy, has declined slowly in most countries across the globe, whereas overweight and obesity have risen rapidly (2, 3). Today no country can claim that 25 kg/m2. Stunting has always been associated with poverty, and increasingly we find overweight and obesity are also shifting to the poor across low and middle-income countries (LMICs) (4, 5). Recent analysis has shown that rural populations in most countries are experiencing rapid increases in overweight and obesity, and in most middle and high-income countries rural populations already face higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than urban ones (6). We define the combination of stunting and obesity at any level, be it national, regional, local, or household, as the double burden of malnutrition (7). The aspect of the anthropometric double burden that focuses on stunting is the long-term measure of undernutrition, and that which is focused on overweight or obesity is the measure of overnutrition. Research on this topic started decades ago (7–10).
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa419Reference Type
Journal Article
Year Published
2021
Journal Title
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Author(s)
Popkin, Barry M.
Article Type
Editorial
ORCiD
Popkin - 0000-0001-9495-9324
