What type of malnutrition predominates in Argentina?

All the effects of malnutrition negatively affect people's physical, mental and emotional development from childhood. However, recognizing which malnutrition predominates in Argentina is key to understanding the national state of affairs on this problem. And, consequently, to choosing the paths needed to fight it.

In particular, the percentage of malnutrition in Argentina is low compared with other Latin American countries. Nevertheless, this context affects different communities in specific places across Argentine territory.

If you want to know what type of malnutrition predominates in Argentina, keep reading this Pata Pila article. You will get more information about this malnutrition and how it affects the population in our country.

1. Acute malnutrition is low

In Argentina, acute malnutrition, which poses a risk to a child's life and can cause death, is not the predominant type. On the one hand, from a global perspective and according to data provided by the Ministry of Health, there is a decrease in the number of deaths of children under one year old.

At the same time, deaths from malnutrition in Argentina are relatively low. In terms of statistics on deaths from malnutrition, it is estimated that 0.4% of deaths occur in children under 5 years of age.

Acute or severe malnutrition is determined from weight, height and arm circumference. Specifically, these alterations appear in the child's body:

• Changes in the normal organic processes of the infants' bodies.
• Presence of marasmus: characterized by atrophy of muscles and fatty tissue. As a result, the bones lack muscle and fat beneath the skin.
• Observation of kwashiorkor: can be defined as bilateral edema that usually begins in the lower limbs. At the same time, the children have lower body weight and are often accompanied by rashes on various areas of the skin.
• A combination of marasmus and kwashiorkor: this is the most serious form, in which edema and high levels of wasting are detected.

2. Chronic child malnutrition is more common

The malnutrition that predominates in Argentina is chronic. In addition to child deaths, there are other physical and psychological health consequences associated with this kind of Argentine child malnutrition.

In fact, 42% of boys and girls show signs of malnutrition in the country. And these values coincide with levels of poverty (27.7%) and extreme poverty (6.8%).

Among the characteristics of this malnutrition that predominates in Argentina, we can mention the following:

• It presents as stunted growth. This is one of the symptoms of child malnutrition, evidenced by short stature in children under 5 that persists over time.
• Indigenous communities are the most affected by the aftermath of this malnutrition. Although this context is unfavorable for the entire Indigenous population of Argentina, it is even more acute in the north of the country.
• Longhi, Gómez and Olmos, in an article in the Spanish Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, establish that there is an unequal distribution of this problem in the country. Indeed, the provinces of Argentina most affected by malnutrition are those of the North. In these, poverty levels are higher, as are the rates of child morbidity and mortality.
• Chronic malnutrition in Argentina is associated with a lack of drinking water, the proximity of garbage dumps and a deficit in the overall level of sanitation.
• This is the type of malnutrition that predominates in Argentina as a result of the lack of medical check-ups since pregnancy.
• There is an absence of social assistance, as well as of public and private health coverage.
• Lack of nutrition education from gestation and early childhood.

In conclusion, chronic malnutrition is the one that prevails in Argentina, and strategic action plans need to be established to reduce its negative effects.

At Pata Pila, we work to improve the quality of life of 74 communities that are going through situations of malnutrition in Argentina.

As Diego Bustamante, founder of Pata Pila, states in a Clarín article, the goal is not only to provide financial assistance to people. On the contrary, it is necessary to connect from a relational perspective, in which trust and empathy prevail.

If you would like to be part of Pata Pila's La Comunidad, you can contribute monthly or as a one-time gift. You can also take part in this nonprofit's humanitarian volunteer programs.

Preventing child malnutrition is possible. You can make the difference to change the reality of children and their families in Argentina.