KADUNA STATE HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN

 

 Kaduna state has the highest number of malnourished children a new survey has shown. This was revealed in a survey led by the Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) to identify the need to determine the trends in child malnutrition and determinants over time in Nigeria and in focal states of Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger.

Indices of malnutrition are higher in Kaduna state than in Nasarawa, Niger and the national average the report showed.
 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) prevalence among children from zero to 59 months of age is 8.7 percent nationally, but 27.6 percent, 3.5 percent and 8.0 percent for Kaduna, Nasarawa and Niger states respectively. 

Programme manager for CS-SUNN, Mr Okoronkwo Sunday said “the finding has shown that stunting which is a key indicator in the malnutrition status of our children between the age of zero and five years is still at 37 percent which is high in itself.  According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS), the rate at which malnutrition has declined is 41 percent in 2008 to 37 percent in 2013. What that shows is that within the span of five years, we were able to reduce malnutrition by four percent which is abysmal by my own estimation. It’s something that calls for every Nigerian to rise up to see that nutrition status of our children and mothers are improved,” Sunday said.
 The lead person in the study Dr Kola M. Anigo of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the malnutrition problem is more in the North West and the North East.
 “The north generally has more malnutrition problem compared to other part of the country. It is more in northern Nigeria generally that is why we chose Niger state in the North Central, Kaduna state from North West, and Nasarawa state”.  
Principal data consulted for the study are from Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) conducted from 1990 to 2013.