Equatorial Guinea - Nutrition at a glance

 77160 Nutrition at a GLANCE Equatorial Guinea The Costs of Malnutrition • Over one-third of child deaths are due to under- Scaling up core micronutrient nutrition nutrition, mostly from increased severity of dis- interventions in Equatorial Guinea would cost ease.2. roughly US$0.5 million per year. • Children who are undernourished between con- (See Technical Notes for more information.) ception and age two are at high risk for impaired cognitive development, which adversely affects Key Actions to Address Malnutrition: the country’s productivity and growth. Increase nutrition capacity within the Ministries • The Africa region is anticipated to lose at least a of Health and Agriculture. cumulative US$4.0 billion to chronic disease by Improve infant and young child feeding through 2015.3. effective education and counseling services. • The economic costs of undernutrition and over- weight include direct costs such as the increased Implement multiple solutions to tackle anemia Country Context burden on the health care system, and indirect including multiple micronutrient sachets for young costs of lost productivity. children and iron supplementation for pregnant women. HDI ranking: 118th out of 182 countries1 • Childhood anemia alone is associated with a Achieve universal salt iodization. 2.5% drop in adult wages.4. Improve dietary diversity through promoting home Life expectancy: 50 years2 production of a diversity of foods and market and Lifetime risk of maternal death: Where Does Equatorial Guinea Stand? infrastructure development. 1 in 282 • 43% of children under the age of five are stunted, Under-five mortality rate: 16% are underweight, and 9% are wasted.2. • 47% of those aged 15 and above are overweight 148 per 1,000 live births2 or obese.5 in Figure 1, Equatorial Guinea has higher rates of Global ranking of stunting • 13% of infants are born with a low birth weight.2. stunting than many countries in the same region prevalence: 23rd highest out of with much lower per capita income. That countries 136 countries2 with lower per capita incomes exhibit reduced rates Most of the irreversible damage due to of child stunting shows that malnutrition is not a malnutrition happens during gestation function of income alone. and in the first 24 months of life.6 Equatorial Guinea is a far wealthier country The Double Burden of Undernutrition and Overweight Technical Notes than most in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet it still has extremely high rates of child malnutrition. As seen While high rates of child undernutrition persist, Stunting is low height for age (too short). Equatorial Guinea has seen a recent increase in Underweight is low weight for age (too adult obesity. The coexistence of undernutrition small). FIgure 1  Equatorial Guinea Has Higher Rates of and overnutrition may lead to particular risks: low- Wasting is low weight for height (too thin). Stunting than its Lower Income Peers birth weight infants and stunted children may be at greater risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes Current stunting, underweight, and wasting 50 and heart disease than children who start out well- Prevalence of Stunting Among estimates are based on comparison of the 45 Equatorial Guinea most recent survey data with the WHO 40 Cameroon nourished.7 Children Under 5 (%) Child Growth Standards, released in 2006. 35 Congo This “double burden