Malnutrition in the OIC Member
Countries: A Trap for Poverty
COMCEC
Figure 3: UNICEF Conceptual Framework of Undernutrition
Immediate level: At the individual level, the factors which determine good nutrition are
dietary intake and disease. For infants and children there are well documented guidelines on
infant and young child feeding (IYCF), which outline desirable breastfeeding practices and
complimentary feeding. The relationship between dietary intake, disease and good nutrition is
a cyclical one. Poor diet leads to poor nutrition status, which in turn increases the risk of many
infectious diseases, perhaps most notably, diarrhoeal disease. Infections can both increase the
requirement for calories and nutrients whilst diarrhoeal disease can also impair gut function,
causing a reduction in the absorption of nutrients, which in turn leads to poor nutrition status.
Underlying level: This refers to the elements at the household and community level which
influence the immediate causes. Household food security is essential for adequate dietary
intake, and care practices influence both the diet of children and the risk of disease. Household
environment and access and utilisation of health services also determine the risk of infectious
diseases. Underpinning these are factors such as poverty, livelihoods, education, assets and
pensions.
Basic level: At this level are the social, economic, political and natural factors of malnutrition.
These include natural disasters and environmental and climatic shocks such as droughts or
floods, political environment and resources allocated to nutrition and other underlying
determinants and cultural aspects and religious norms.
This framework has been used to inform nutrition programming for the last 25 years and more
recently has been built upon and expanded to encompass other forms of malnutrition (for
example overweight and obesity), consequences of malnutrition, and approaches to address
the determinants at each level.
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