''GLOBAL NUTRITION SURVEY'' : 2018

IN the short term, being stunted means a child is more likely to get, and then five terms more likely to die of diarrhea.

And it is a vicious cycle. Just five episodes of diarrhea before a child's second birthday can lead to stunting.

The long term picture is even more shattering. A stunted child's brain development is so severely affected by the lack of nutrients that they are likely to be cognitively impaired for life by school achievement, economic productivity in adulthood and maternal reproductive outcomes.

It means malnutrition does not affects the child weight and height alone but also affects the child's abilities and therefore a nation's potential success.

According to the Global Nutrition Survey 2018 Report which reveals that that Asia is one of the  hardest-hit areas when it comes to malnutrition although the region experienced the largest reduction in stunting from 2000 to 2017 - from 38% to 23% .

The report found that the three countries with the largest number of children who are stunted are India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Pakistan's Demographic Health Survey [PDHS] 2017-2018 indicated, 38 percent of the children under five are stunted and out of 38% slightly more than half [17%] are severelystunted in Pakistan.

According to the World Bank, a 1 percent loss in adult height due to childhood stunting is associated with a 1.4 percent loss in economic productivity.

It is estimated that stunted children earn 20 percent less as adults compared to non-stunted individuals.

The sad honor and serving of the latest  global operational research on stunting and nutrition  continues. The World Students Society thanks author and researcher Nabila Kunwal.