Health, Nutrition, and Economic Development in Africa

Abstract

Opinion 14 Copyright 2020 by Sanogo NA. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. cc Opinion | Volume 5 | Issue 1| PURPOSE T he purpose of this brief is to highlight the interconnections between health, nutrition and economic development in Africa. What Does the Term "Well-Nourished Populations" Mean? The term "well-nourished populations" is the opposite of malnutrition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalance in a person's intake of energy and/or nutrients. The African continent faces the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) namely child undernutri-tion and adult/child obesity. 1 Nutritional disparities and the DBM must be considered from a life course perspective. 2 Research focusing on women of childbearing age living in socioeconomically deprived circumstances has documented the intergenerational transmission of stunting. Maternal stunting , underweight, and gaining less weight than recommended during pregnancy are associated with intrauterine growth restriction, which has also been associated with increased risk of stunting for the baby. 2,3 In fact, from conception to 15-months of age, an infant is entirely dependent for its nutrition on the mother via the placenta and then ideally via exclusive breastfeeding. 4 This period of 24-months is the most important and vulnerable in a child's life because it is during this period that the child's immune system and its physical and mental capacity develop. 5 If undernutrition occurs during these first 1000-days, it might cause stunted growth and diminished function of the brain's grey matter, responsible for sensory perception, memory, decision-making and other function; and these consequences are irreversible. 5 Despite a growing commitment to reducing levels of child undernutrition in Africa, there is still a lot to do. In 2016, there were around 58 million African children under the age of five who were too short for their age 13.9 million weighed too little for their size. 5 With regard to obesity, we can say that obesity among women of childbearing age and children is increasing in Africa. Women who start pregnancy as overweight, are more likely to gain excessive weight during pregnancy, develop gestational diabetes, deliver large for gestational age or premature newborns, and are less likely to breastfeed. 2,3 Among adults, obesity can lead to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. 2 Children born to overweight women have increased risks of developing obesity that persist as they mature. Women then pass to their children an increased risk of obesity that persists into later life, perpetuating the cycle. In 2017, 10.3 million African children were considered overweight. 2,3 Understanding the True Cost of Malnutrition Malnutrition costs African economies between 3 and 16% of GDP annually. The conceptual framework (Figure 1) below explains the economic impacts of malnutrition in all its forms in four pathways. Firstly, maternal mortality, linked to severe Anaemia, and reduced adult life expectancy, linked to obesity and related health complications, is additional manifestations of nutrition-mortality linkages. Preventable mortality represents a loss of human capital that affects families and whole communities. The second pathway is ill health. Treatment costs are borne by families as well as by health insurance systems. Thirdly, impaired physical growth (sub-optimal physical growth) reduces economic productivity lowered labour productivity or absenteeism from work. Finally, impaired cognitive development resulting from poor nutrition from birth, especially during the first 1000-days of life,impairs cognitive development, delays school attendance and