www.unitedvoicesforchildren.org Are the figures on child hunger accurate? Every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger, a charity campaign states, urging the G8 leaders meeting in Ireland to pledge more aid for the world's poorest families. According to the latest version of the slogan, a child dies of hunger every 10 seconds.
Stats about deaths occurring every few seconds have been around for years.
This latest, the 10-second one, is based on a figure from a very reputable source: The Lancet, an internationally renowned journal which recently published a paper saying that more than three million children died of under-nutrition in 2011.
To get their attention-grabbing statistic, the campaign managers have divided the number of seconds in a year by that number of deaths: three million.
Stats about deaths occurring every few seconds have been around for years.
This latest, the 10-second one, is based on a figure from a very reputable source: The Lancet, an internationally renowned journal which recently published a paper saying that more than three million children died of under-nutrition in 2011.
To get their attention-grabbing statistic, the campaign managers have divided the number of seconds in a year by that number of deaths: three million.
www.unicef.org.uk Child hunger facts. Source: The Lancet, World Food Programme.
Under-nutrition causes 45% of child deaths, resulting in 3.1 million deaths annually
Under-nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life is major determinant of stunted growth and chronic diseases in adulthood
There are 165 million stunted children in the world
Stunted children have compromised cognitive development and physical capabilities
80% of the world's stunted children live in 20 countries
Poor quality and volume of breastfeeding result in over 800,000 child deaths annually.
Apart from the blighted people in Somalia, the vast majority of those numbers are children who, because they haven't had the right nutrition in the very earliest parts of their lives, are really very susceptible to infectious diseases, like measles.
Rather than going to bed hungry, infants under two years in countries such as India or Nigeria are eating cereals or starches, which wouldn't provide the nutrition they need. These countries have the resources to feed the children better.
In some cultures, women don't get to eat the best food in the household, which can mean children are born underweight. Milk and meat may also be avoided for cultural reasons, as they are in parts of India for example. And sometimes, the value of fruit and vegetables is not appreciated.
According to the change in figures since 2008, there are signs of progress. There's been a decrease in the number of excess deaths so the world must be paying attention to their plight.
It seems to me that the countries requiring aid also need reeducation and a restructuring of their culture. The task will not be easy.
Under-nutrition causes 45% of child deaths, resulting in 3.1 million deaths annually
Under-nutrition during pregnancy and the first two years of life is major determinant of stunted growth and chronic diseases in adulthood
There are 165 million stunted children in the world
Stunted children have compromised cognitive development and physical capabilities
80% of the world's stunted children live in 20 countries
Poor quality and volume of breastfeeding result in over 800,000 child deaths annually.
Apart from the blighted people in Somalia, the vast majority of those numbers are children who, because they haven't had the right nutrition in the very earliest parts of their lives, are really very susceptible to infectious diseases, like measles.
Rather than going to bed hungry, infants under two years in countries such as India or Nigeria are eating cereals or starches, which wouldn't provide the nutrition they need. These countries have the resources to feed the children better.
In some cultures, women don't get to eat the best food in the household, which can mean children are born underweight. Milk and meat may also be avoided for cultural reasons, as they are in parts of India for example. And sometimes, the value of fruit and vegetables is not appreciated.
According to the change in figures since 2008, there are signs of progress. There's been a decrease in the number of excess deaths so the world must be paying attention to their plight.
It seems to me that the countries requiring aid also need reeducation and a restructuring of their culture. The task will not be easy.
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