Childhood Malnutrition in Nigeria: a Critical Evaluation

Nutritional status is the best global indicator of well-being in children. Poor nutritional status of children in the developing world is still a public health threat. Data analysis of evidence from seven different nutritional surveys show that in spite of the implementation of three different nutritional programmes in the country, the prevalence of protein energy malnutrition has shown little or no decline in the past 16 years. Evidence from the National Micronutrient Survey (1993) and National Food Consumption and Nutrition Survey (2003) show that the prevalence of iron deficiency and vitamin A deficiency has increased in the last decade. This book points out succinctly that Nigeria is off-track on its journey towards the Millennium Development Goals.