Environmental determinants of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in children
Brief
Highlights
Nutrition, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life – from conception to the child’s second birthday – is a core determinant of child survival, physical growth and development, present and future health and well-being, and learning and earning potential, with positive impacts into the next generation. Multiple factors determine children’s diets and nutrition globally.
Growing evidence reinforces the role of the environment as a fundamental determinant of nutrition and other health-related outcomes. Environmental hazards – agents or conditions that exist in a person’s environment with the potential to cause harm – can be physical (e.g., heat, radiation, noise, climate and weather), chemical pollutants/ toxicants, and biological (bacteria, viruses, parasites, vectors). Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a well-known determinant of poor nutritional outcomes, linked to 10 per cent of cases of undernutrition. Beyond WASH, the effects of exposure to chemicals and other biological hazards on nutrition outcomes are under-recognized.
This document highlights the influence of environmental hazards on childhood undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, with a focus on chemical and biological exposures.
