Malnutrition is when a child is getting too little or even too much of the nutrients their bodies need to sustain themselves and grow.
Children in poverty are especially vulnerable to malnutrition.
Undernourished children suffer weakened immune systems and damage to their physical and cognitive development.
You can empower Compassion’s church partners to vigilantly check children for signs of malnutrition and offer the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive.
What is Child Malnutrition?
Malnutrition is when a child is getting too little or even too much of the nutrients their bodies need to sustain themselves and grow. It can look like any of these issues:
Macronutrient Undernutrition: Children are getting so little food that they are underweight (meaning they weigh too little for their age), are suffering stunted growth (they haven’t been able to grow to a normal height for their age), or are suffering wasting (they weigh too little for their height).
Micronutrient Undernutrition: This means that children are getting enough food but not the right foods; they still lack the vital vitamins and minerals their bodies need to function.
Overweight or Obesity: This means children are eating more energy-dense foods than their bodies can use. However, children can be overweight and still lack some nutrients their bodies need. How? Often, in poorer communities, foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt are cheaper to buy, but whole foods with essential vitamins and minerals are too expensive for families to afford. This means it can be common for people in low-income communities to suffer from both undernutrition and obesity.
Diet-Related Diseases: Poor nutrition can lead to cardiovascular diseases, some cancers and diabetes later in life.
What Causes Child Malnutrition?
Diet-related issues can affect anyone, but those living in poverty are more likely to suffer from malnutrition. Parents in poverty often struggle to afford enough nutritious food for their families, and several other issues can make child food poverty even worse.
For example, food prices have been rising, and conflict in many regions disrupts food supply chains, making it harder to find food even if families can afford it. Climate crises like droughts also make it difficult for some regions to produce enough food. Sometimes education is even a barrier, as parents don’t know what their children need to thrive.
Not being able to reliably get enough nutritious food is known as food insecurity. Right now, 2.3 billion people worldwide suffer from food insecurity.
How Does Malnutrition Affect a Child’s Development?
When children aren’t getting enough to eat, their bodies begin to break down tissues and stop normal functions. One of the most affected functions is the immune system, leaving kids vulnerable to infections and diseases.
Sadly, children suffering from malnutrition are more likely to fall ill and even die. For example, nearly half of all deaths among children under 5 are related to undernutrition, and these occur mostly in low- and middle-income countries.
Malnutrition is especially dangerous in early childhood, when kids’ growing bodies need abundant nutrients to set the foundation for their physical and cognitive development. Undernutrition delays mental development, affecting school performance and damaging kids’ intellectual abilities. This damage can affect them for life, limiting their opportunities and making it harder for them to provide for themselves as adults.
Fighting Child Malnutrition
Malnutrition threatens the lives and futures of millions of children, but there’s good news: we can do something about it. Simply providing the nutritious food children need changes everything.
That’s why at Compassion, one of our top priorities is ensuring children are getting the vital nutrition they need. Kids in our program have yearly medical checkups and are regularly monitored for signs of malnutrition. If something is wrong at any of these regular checks, staff step in immediately, offering nourishing meals, supplements or therapeutic feeding — whatever these little ones need to get back on track for healthy growth.
Our local staff also work in areas facing food crises and hunger to help families build reliable food sources. This can be through animal rearing or training on drought resistant farming, for example.
Bottom line: we’re dedicated to showing kids the love of Jesus by helping them grow up healthy. And you can help.
