Stunted growth

Stunted growth, also known as Growth retardation, is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, due to malnutrition during fetal development brought on by a malnourished mother. The definition of stunting according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is for the "height for age" value to be less than two standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median.

Causes

Stunted growth is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, usually associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness, and/or inappropriate infant and young child feeding and care in early life.

Effects

Stunted growth also affects mental development and health status later in life, resulting in decreased productivity and increased risk of degenerative diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention is possible with improved diet and nutritional intake, improved health and sanitation services, and better access to education. Treatment includes nutritional education and support, and treating and preventing infections.

See also

• Malnutrition
• Undernutrition
• Diarrhea
• Helminthiasis
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease

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