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Review
. 2020 Nov 19;7(11):239.
doi: 10.3390/children7110239.

Tackling Childhood Stunting in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in the Context of COVID-19

Ayoub Al Jawaldeh  1 , Radhouene Doggui  2   3 , Elaine Borghi  4 , Hassan Aguenaou  5 , Laila El Ammari  6 , Azza Abul-Fadl  7 , Karen McColl  8
Affiliations
Review

Tackling Childhood Stunting in the Eastern Mediterranean Region in the Context of COVID-19

Ayoub Al Jawaldeh et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Over 20 million children under 5 years old in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region have stunted growth, as a result of chronic malnutrition, with damaging long-term consequences for individuals and societies. This review extracted and analyzed data from the UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank malnutrition estimates to present an overall picture of childhood stunting in the region. The number of children under 5 in the region who are affected by stunting has dropped from 24.5 million (40%) in 1990 to 20.6 million (24.2%) in 2019. The reduction rate since the 2012 baseline is only about two fifths of that required and much more rapid progress will be needed to reach the internationally agreed targets by 2025 and 2030. Prevalence is highest in low-income countries and those with a lower Human Development Index. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undermine efforts to reduce stunting, through its impact on access and affordability of safe and nutritious foods and access to important health services. Priority areas for action to tackle stunting as part of a comprehensive, multisectoral nutrition strategy are proposed. In light of the threat that COVID-19 will exacerbate the already heavy burden of malnutrition in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, implementation of such strategies is more important than ever.

Keywords: COVID-19; Eastern Mediterranean; Near East; North Africa; childhood malnutrition; coronavirus; nutrition; stunting.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stunted growth and development: context and causes [15].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stunting in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990 to 2019—percentage prevalence and number of children affected (million).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Average stunting prevalence (latest estimates) in countries of different income levels in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region 1,2,3. 1 Latest estimates only include data from 2012 or later. 2 Country level of income, by World Bank classification, relates to year of stunting data collection. Low- and lower middle-income countries: Afghanistan (low-income); Djibouti, Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, occupied Palestinian Territory and Yemen; upper middle-income countries: Iraq, Jordan and Libya; high-income countries: Kuwait and Oman. 3 Source: analysis based on country data [30].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of stunting (latest estimates) and Human Development Index (HDI) in the countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region 1,2,3. 1 Latest estimates only include data from 2012 or later. 2 HDI for each country relates to year of data collection. 3 Source: analysis based on country data [30].
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References

    1. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) World Health Organization. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The World Bank . Levels and Trends in Child Malnutrition: Key Findings of the 2020 Edition of the Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates. WHO; Geneva, Switzerland: 2020.
    1. Food and Agriculture Organization. United Nations Children’s Fund. World Food Programme. World Health Organization . Joint Statement by FAO, UNICEF, WFP, WHO on Nutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Arab Regions. WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region; Cairo, Egypt: Amman, Jordan: 2020.
    1. WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group . WHO Child Growth Standards: Length/Height-For-Age, Weight-For-Age, Weight-For-Length, Weight-For-Height and Body Mass Index-For Age: Methods and Development. WHO; Geneva, Switzerland: 2006.
    1. World Health Organization . Global Nutrition Targets 2025: Stunting Policy Brief. WHO; Geneva, Switzerland: 2014.
    1. United Nations Children’s Fund . The State of the World’s Children 2013. Children with Disabilities. UNICEF; New York, NY, USA: 2013.

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