7 Facts on Nutrition Modified from the World Health Organization

Fact #1 Malnutrition is a major contributor to the total global disease burden. More than 1/3of child deaths worldwide are attributed to under nutrition. Poverty is a central cause.

Fact #2 Chronic malnutrition is Stunting - when children are too short for their age group. 178 million children globally are stunted, from not enough food. As growth slows down, brain development lags and stunted children learn poorly. Stunting rates among children are highest in Africa & Asia. In south-central Asia 41% are affected.

Fact #3 Wasting- resulting from acute food shortages and compounded by illness. About 1.5 million children die annually due to wasting. Rising food prices, food scarcity in areas of conflict, and natural disasters diminish household access to appropriate and adequate food.

Hidden hunger is a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, which are vital to boost immunity and healthy development. Vitamin A, zinc, iron and iodine deficiencies are primary public health concerns. Fact #4

Fact #5 The rise in overweight and obesity worldwide is a major public health challenge. People of all ages and backgrounds face this type of malnutrition..67% In a few developing countries, up to 20% of children under-five are overweight.

Fact #6 Nutritional problems in adolescents start during childhood and continue into adult life. Anemia is a key nutritional problem in adolescent girls. This can reduce maternal and child deaths later.

Fact #7 A lifetime of unhealthy eating and inactivity raises health risks over time - contributing to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other problems. The global population is ageing: the number of people aged 60 and older will jump from 700 million today to 1 billion by Nutritional health at older ages will be a critical factor in the state of global health.

How this applies to ME Economic class is a continuous line, not a clear-cut distinction. In 2006, the poverty line in the United States was considered $20,444 for a family of four. According to census data from 2006, the median household income was $48,451 and 19% of U.S. households earned more than $100,000 per year. Individuals are stationed all along the continuum of income; they sometimes move on that continuum as well.

Poor Children Reported in 2006 United StatesNumber of Children in Poverty in 2006 Percentage of Children in Poverty All Races12,896, % Caucasian7,908, % Hispanic4,072, % African-American3,777, % Asian-American360, % Native-American194, %

STATISTICS While the number of Caucasian children in poverty is the largest group, the percentage of children in poverty in most minority groups is higher. The United States’ child poverty rate is substantially higher often two or three times higher than that of most other major Western industrialized nations.