Targeted interventions

LAHORE: A healthy human resource is the basic requirement for increasing productivity. Pakistan is home to the highest number of stunted (low height for age) children after India and Nigeria. Economic future of Pakistan is linked to addressing this issue.

Over 40 percent or 12 million of Pakistan’s children under five years of age are stunted and 17.7 percent or around 5.3 million are wasted (low weight for height) with 2.5 million estimated to be severely wasted, according to the National Nutrition Survey 2018 of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS).

The economic losses due to the high prevalence of stunting and wasting amount to $7.6 billion annually.

A study on the economic costs of childhood stunting by eClinicalMedicine, reveals that stunting reduction interventions yields gains from $2 to $81 per $1 invested annually -- or 100 percent to 8,000 percent across countries.

Wasting is a life-threatening form of malnutrition, which makes children too thin and weak, and puts them at greater risk of dying, poor growth, development, and learning. The NHS 2018 shows that most mothers are malnourished and not able to feed their infants, consequently making their children malnourished again.

By providing nutrient-rich food in the form of fortified milk or flavoured milk, children can have a second chance to gain their growth and development.

Multiple forms of malnutrition result in reduced schooling, cognitive impairments, labour productivity loss and higher healthcare costs that slow down a nation’s economic growth.

The government should focus on milk-based school lunch break snacks programmes being pursued in other countries. Instead of providing unconditional subsidies, the state should collaborate with milk processors to provide milk to at least all primary school children.

Where affordability is not an issue, parents must be encouraged to send their children with nutritious drinks like milk/flavoured milk and yogurt that can provide vitamin B12 for healthy brain and nervous system development and protein and calcium to provide the necessary muscular development and bone development to school with them to re-fuel themselves.

School going children have higher nutrient requirements compared to adults to help support critical mental development and aid to healthy growth. Children absorb information and develop motor skills at a very high rate; not only are they developing social skills, their creativity, muscular coordination, and other cognitive development is all happening simultaneously.

At this young developing age, their nervous system is developing parallel to all related hand-eye coordination. Their bodies require vitamin B12 for healthy brain and nervous system development, while protein and calcium provide the necessary muscular development and bone development. All these nutrients can be provided to the child via milk or even flavoured milk.

Government must join hands with the corporate sector milk processors to provide milk fortified with nutrients like Vitamin A and D and added calcium at government schools at concessional rates

Studies confirm healthy snacking as being the catalyst for better academic performance, while missing out on these have been known to affect them negatively.

Children who consume healthy snacks such as fruits, milk and nuts tend to perform better at school.

On the other side, children who consume unhealthy, processed foods do not perform well in their academics. This study backs the claim that healthier habits and snacking leads to improved focus and academic performance in children.

We need a multi-sect-oral approach where health, social protection, agriculture, and education sectors can pool resources and work together to provide healthy diets to growing children to reduce stunting and wasting.