The Double Burden of Malnutrition in Asia: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions

By far the greatest number of malnourished children in the world reside in Asia. The fact that every third child born in that vast region is malnourished represents an enormous drain on human and economic development. The Double Burden of Malnutrition in Asia is inspired by the massive challenge that this situation currently poses for Asia. It describes the main driving forces behind the groundswell of undernutrition, while shedding light on the emerging ‘double burden’ of co-existing underweight and overweight, and the linkages between these two different forms of malnutrition. Despite the fact that these two manifestations reside at either end of the malnutrition spectrum, they increasingly coexist, and often within the same family. The pay-off to turning this tide of malnutrition, argue the authors, is immense and the instruments for doing so are well-known. There is enough evidence to show that reducing malnutrition can improve intellectual capacity, raise productivity and lifetime personal earnings, and reduce private and public healthcare expenditures. In the long term, sustainable poverty-reducing economic growth, say the authors, will not be possible without tackling the widespread problem of malnutrition. Following detailed analyses of causes and consequences, Gillespie and Haddad provide clear evidence-based options for remedial action in differing contexts, all based on the use of a practical approach to conceptualizing risks and opportunities through the lifecycle. Taken together, the evidence and experience presented by the authors constitute a powerful weapon in the battle against malnutrition, and one that is relevant for a wide range of actors and institutions both in Asia and beyond. Comprehensive, topical, and provocative, this book will be of interest to policymakers, program managers, social workers, and other development professionals including NGOs, as well as to nutrition, health and agriculture specialists in academia and development agencies throughout the world.