Progress breakdown The Report shows only two regions of the world on track to meet the MDG target for reducing the prevalence of underweight children: Latin America and the Caribbean and the East Asia and Pacific region, with underweight prevalence rates of 7 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.
The Eastern/Southern Africa region has shown no improvement since 1990 in reducing the proportion of underweight children.
As of 2010, Indonesia was reported to be on track in achieving the first Millennium Development Goal of reducing the prevalence of underweight among children under-five years of age.
Overwhelming rate of undernutrition Although Guatemala has made progress in reducing the number of underweight children under five, it still has an overwhelming rate of undernutrition.
The relatively greater success of agricultural interventions in reducing the prevalence of underweight and wasting compared with stunting can be explained at least in two ways.
West/Central Africa – the region with the highest under-five mortality rate in the world – has managed to make some progress since 1990 in reducing the prevalence of underweight among its children, but it is insufficient to reach the MDG target.
Quality diet with micronutrients UNICEF warns however that addressing malnutrition is not just a question of reducing the incidence of underweight children, but to ensure that children and women receive a quality of diet that includes micronutrients to encourage physical and mental development.
This approach has been shown to be more effective in reducing the prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting in the context of Title II-funded programs than recuperative nutrition interventions alone.
This will consequently reduce on the underweight children who are mostly aged less than three years in the districts of Nakaseke and Nakasongola.
All but three countries with data have single-digit percentages of underweight children, while Croatia and Ukraine have reduced the proportion of underweight children to just 1 per cent.
Poor nutrition may cost nation up to 3 percent of GDP The Government of Indonesia has committed to reducing the prevalence of stunting among children aged under-five years by 5 percent and reducing the prevalence of underweight children to less than 15 percent.
