Malnutrition in the OIC Member
Countries: A Trap for Poverty
COMCEC
of the mother and poor maternal nutrition stores associated with increased risk of intrauterine
growth retardation (IGR).
Maternal short stature is also a risk factor for caesarean delivery, largely related to
cephalopelvic disproportion (when the capacity of the pelvis is inadequate to allow the foetus
to negotiate the birth canal]. This increases the risk of complication during delivery for both
mother and baby.
In developing countries the prime causes of low birth weight, gestational age, prematurity and
intrauterine growth retardation were (after racial origin]: maternal nutrition, low pre­
pregnancy weight and short maternal stature (Kramer, 1987], highlighting the importance of
good maternal nutrition and adequate maternal height.
Undernutrition can have an intergenerational effect: a mother who is undernourished is more
likely to give birth to a small child. Infants born with low birth weight remain short into
adulthood, becoming small mothers and are at increased risk of developing chronic diseases in
later life.
Poor foetal growth or stunting in the first 2 years of life leads to irreversible damage, including
shorter adult height, lower attained schooling, reduced adult income, and decreased offspring
birthweight. Undernutrition can affect cognitive development by causing direct structural
damage to the brain and by impairing infant motor development (Wintour and Owens, 2006].
There is also an effect on the amount of education a child will receive. The number of years a
child will spend in schooling is directly linked to height-for-age, underweight and low birth
weight (Victora et al., 2008].
There is no evidence that rapid weight or length gain in the first 2 years of life increases the
risk of chronic disease, even in children with poor foetal growth. Interventions and policies
should therefore be targeted at maternal nutrition for improved birth outcomes,
stunting reduction and prevention of excessive weight gain after infancy (Victoria, C.
2008].
1.4. Determinants of Malnutrition
The term 'malnutrition' is used to describe a number of problems including deficiencies,
excesses or imbalances in energy, protein, and/or other nutrient intakes and include both
undernutrition and overweight and obesity. All forms of malnutrition have important
consequences for global health and survival with long-lasting impacts on development and
economic productivity (Black et al., 2013].
The determinants of malnutrition are widely agreed upon and were conceptualised in the
UNICEF conceptual framework of undernutrition developed in 1990. This framework
illustrates the basic, underlying and immediate causes of undernutrition and is shown in
Figure 3.
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