Number of hungry rises since the arrival of COVID-19

Hunger - Ap photo, Creative Commons.

Geneva, 24 Dec (Kanaga Raja) – By disrupting economic and livelihood activities, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic economic downturn and exacerbated hunger and food insecurity in the Asia and the Pacific region, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have said.

In their 2021 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, FAO and UNICEF said in 2020, 375.8 million people in the region were undernourished, an increase of 53.9 million people over 2019, with most of these people (305.7 million) living in Southern Asia.

The FAO estimates that 443.8 million people in the region suffered from severe food insecurity in 2020, while an additional 667.4 million suffered from moderate food insecurity.

According to the FAO/UNICEF report, despite a history of rapid economic growth, nearly all countries in the region suffered an economic contraction in 2020 (China and Viet Nam, along with a few others, suffered a slowdown but still maintained positive growth).

“The spread of COVID-19 led governments around the region to implement a range of containment measures in 2020. These measures, along with a change in consumer behaviour intended to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19, were major factors behind the economic downturn.”

FAO and UNICEF said many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) were hit especially hard due to their reliance on tourism.

For example, Fiji, Maldives, Palau and Vanuatu all experienced contractions in their gross domestic product (GDP) of 10 percent or more.

But the economic downturn was not confined to SIDS, as many large economies were severely affected, with India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand all suffering contractions in GDP of more than 5 percent.

Overall, GDP in East Asia excluding China declined by 3.8 percent in 2020, and it declined by 5.4 percent in South Asia.

While there were substantial disruptions in food supply chains around the globe, overall changes in domestic food prices in the region were typically muted, said the joint report.

In real terms, food prices across 40 countries in the region experienced a median increase of just 2.1 percent from December 2019 to December 2020, as measured by the food category that forms part of the consumer price index (CPI).

FAO and UNICEF said even the largest real food price increases during this time were still in the range of 6 to 12 percent (Australia, Bhutan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, the Solomon Islands, and Sri Lanka).

“Thus, the economic downturn was more responsible for making food less affordable than were increased food prices,” they added.

LARGE RISE IN NUMBER OF UNDERNOURISHED

The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions contributed to a large increase in the prevalence and number of undernourished in Asia and the Pacific in 2020, said FAO and UNICEF.

The number of undernourished increased from 322 million to 376 million, an increase of 17 percent (similar to the global increase of 18 percent).

“This substantial increase reversed a broadly declining trend over the past 20 years, although progress had stopped in recent years.”

According to FAO and UNICEF, the prevalence of undernourishment in Asia and the Pacific was 8.7 percent in 2020, down from 14.3 percent in 2000, reflecting decades of economic development.

Notably, progress had slowed in recent years, even before COVID-19, they said.

In 2020, the prevalence was highest in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, followed by Southern Asia (15.8 percent), South-eastern Asia (7.3 percent) and Eastern Asia (less than 2.5 percent).

The prevalence of undernourishment exceeds 20 percent in several countries: Afghanistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

The largest increase in the prevalence of undernourishment in 2020 was in Southern Asia, where the prevalence increased by 2.5 percentage points, from 13.3 percent in 2019 to 15.8 percent in 2020.

The number of undernourished in Asia and the Pacific reached 375.8 million in 2020, down 127.9 million, or 25.4 percent, compared with 2000. The region accounted for 48.9 percent of the global total of 768 million in 2020.

FAO and UNICEF said Southern Asia had 305.7 million undernourished people, followed by South-eastern Asia (48.8 million) and Oceania (2.7 million).

They said the largest increase in undernourishment in 2020 in the wake of COVID-19 was in Southern Asia, which accounted for an additional 50.5 million undernourished out of an increase of 53.9 million at the regional level.

WORSENING FOOD SECURITY SITUATION

The worsening food security situation in the region is reflected not only in the prevalence of undernourishment data, but also in figures on the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity, said FAO and UNICEF.

The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in Asia and the Pacific was 25.7 percent in 2020, up from 18.7 percent in 2014, they said.

“Much of the increase came in 2020 when COVID-19 and its economic repercussions contributed to an increase of 3.3 percentage points.”

The increase was particularly large in Southern Asia, where the prevalence increased from 37.6 percent in 2019 to 43.8 percent in 2020.

According to the joint report, people face moderate food insecurity when they are uncertain of their ability to obtain food and have been forced to reduce, at times over the year, the quality and/or quantity of food they consume due to lack of money or other resources.

It said that severe food insecurity means that individuals have likely run out of food, experienced hunger and, at the most extreme, have gone for days without eating, putting their health and well-being at serious risk.

Across the four sub-regions, Southern Asia had the highest prevalence (43.8 percent) in 2020, compared to 18.8 percent in South-eastern Asia, 12 percent in Oceania and 7.8 percent in Eastern Asia.

Several countries had a prevalence above 30 percent: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kiribati, Nepal and the Philippines.

The prevalence of severe food insecurity in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020 was 10.3 percent, up from 7.7 percent in 2014.

“The sub-regional pattern was similar to that for severe or moderate food insecurity,” said the joint report.

Southern Asia had the highest prevalence (19.9 percent), followed by 3.3 percent in South-eastern Asia, 2.6 percent in Oceania and 2 percent in Eastern Asia, said FAO and UNICEF.

An estimated 1.1 billion people in Asia and the Pacific experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2020, an increase of 341.9 million, or 44.4 percent, compared with 2014.

“Of that large increase, 148.9 million occurred from 2019 to 2020, when COVID-19 led to major socio-economic disruptions that negatively affected food security.”

The region accounted for 46.9 percent of the global total of 2.4 billion in 2020 (similar to its share in the number of undernourished).

Most of those people reside in Southern Asia, which had 849.8 million moderately or severely food insecure people, compared with 130.8 million in Eastern Asia, 125.5 million in South-eastern Asia and 5.1 million in Oceania.

An estimated 443.8 million people in Asia and the Pacific experienced severe food insecurity in 2020, an increase of 127.3 million, or 40.2 percent compared with 2014, said FAO and UNICEF.

“Much of the increase came in 2020 in the wake of COVID-19, although the number was increasing even earlier.”

The region accounted for 47.8 percent of the global total of 927.6 million in 2020. Southern Asia had 386.8 million severely food insecure people, compared with 33.8 million in Eastern Asia, 22.1 million in South-eastern Asia and 1.1 million in Oceania, said the joint report.

GLOBAL NUTRITION INDICATORS

FAO and UNICEF also reported on four global nutrition indicators: stunting, wasting and overweight in children under the age of five, and anaemia in women of reproductive age.

They explained that stunting (low height-for-age) reflects the effects of chronic malnutrition on child growth, with negative consequences for health and development.

Across Asia and the Pacific, 74.8 million children are stunted, amounting to half of the world’s total, they added.

“Despite a reduction from 38 percent in 2000, nearly 23 percent of children in the region are still stunted.”

FAO and UNICEF said that Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand is the most affected sub-region with 41.4 percent of children stunted, followed by Southern Asia (30.7 percent), South-eastern Asia (27.4 percent) and Eastern Asia (4.9 percent).

However, Southern Asia has the highest number of children affected by stunting at 54.3 million, they added.

Ten countries in Asia and the Pacific have a “very high prevalence” of stunting according to the WHO criteria (more than 30 percent) – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Marshall Islands, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

Another eight are considered to have a “high prevalence” of stunting (20-30 percent) according to WHO criteria: Bhutan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Viet Nam.

Child wasting is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that results from insufficient food intake and/or frequent or prolonged illness, said FAO and UNICEF.

It is the form of malnutrition most susceptible to the impacts of COVID-19 as households deal with food insecurity and other shocks with the potential to impact child health and nutrient intake very rapidly, they added.

An additional 9 million children worldwide may suffer from wasting by the end of 2022, including 6.2 million in Southern Asia, FAO and UNICEF reported.

In 2020, a total of 31.2 million children in the region were affected by wasting, with most of these children living in Southern Asia (25 million).

The share of children under five years affected by wasting in Asia and the Pacific was 9.9 percent in 2020, which is higher than the global average of 6.7 percent.

The sub-region with the highest proportion of children with wasting is Southern Asia (14.1 percent), followed by Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand (9 percent), South-eastern Asia (8.2 percent) and Eastern Asia (1.7 percent).

While there are no data yet that capture the impact of COVID-19 on wasting prevalence, it has been estimated that 15 percent more children may have been affected by wasting in 2020 than is currently estimated, said FAO and UNICEF.

“If accurate, this will further sidetrack progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 2.2.2.”

Childhood overweight is rising globally, driven largely by insufficient physical activity and increased availability and consumption of highly processed foods that are often high in sugar, salt and fats, said FAO and UNICEF.

The Asia-Pacific region is no exception to this global trend, with a regional increase in overweight children from 4.2 percent to 5 percent between 2000 and 2020, they added.

The most striking change has been in South-eastern Asia where the prevalence of overweight children increased from 3.7 percent in 2000 to 7.5 percent in 2020.

In total, 16.2 million children in the region are overweight. The overall percentage is lower than the global average of 5.7 percent, said FAO and UNICEF.

The most affected sub-region is Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand with 8 percent, followed by Eastern Asia (7.9 percent), South-eastern Asia (7.5 percent) and Southern Asia (2.5 percent).

All sub-regions have a higher prevalence in 2020 than in 2000, except Southern Asia which has seen a decline in rates of childhood overweight over the past 20 years, said FAO and UNICEF.

These patterns (outside Southern Asia) must be reversed to achieve the SDG target for 2030, they added.

The prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age (SDG Indicator 2.2.3) in Asia and the Pacific was 32.9 percent in 2019.

This is approximately 1 percentage point lower than in 2000, indicating very slow progress during the past two decades, said FAO and UNICEF.

The regional figure is also higher than the global average of 29.9 percent, they added.

They said that the prevalence of anaemia is the highest in Southern Asia, where almost half of women aged 15 to 49 have anaemia (48.2 percent).

According to FAO and UNICEF, in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, 33.9 percent of women of reproductive age are anaemic, followed by 27.2 percent in South-eastern Asia and 16.1 percent in Eastern Asia.

“Given the lack of progress in most countries since 2000, the region is off-track to reach the SDG target of a 50 percent reduction in the prevalence of anaemia,” they said.

OBESITY AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

The prevalence of adult obesity in the region (6.1 percent) is lower than the global prevalence of 13.1 percent, but adult obesity is rising across every country in the region, FAO and UNICEF also reported.

Obesity among adults is a risk factor for many non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), they emphasized.

Among adults 18 years and above in Asia and the Pacific, the prevalence of obesity increased from 2.6 percent in 2000 to 6.1 percent in 2016, said FAO and UNICEF, adding that this is lower than the global prevalence of 13.1 percent.

Oceania had the highest prevalence of adult obesity, with 28.1 percent, followed by South-eastern Asia (6.7 percent), Eastern Asia (6 percent) and Southern Asia (5.4 percent).

Obesity among adults 18 years and above increased in all countries between 2000 and 2016, said the joint report.

It said that by 2016, the prevalence of obesity was above 45 percent in ten countries, all in the Pacific: the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.

“With obesity rising across every country in the region, these countries face growing challenges to meet SDG 3 Target 3.4 to reduce premature mortality from NCDs.”

FAO and UNICEF also said exclusive breastfeeding is an essential part of optimal infant and young child feeding and gives children the best start in life.

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is when a child receives nothing but breast milk from birth until 6 months of age.

EBF is one of the World Health Assembly’s six global nutrition targets – expecting countries to increase EBF to at least 50 percent by 2025, they noted.

Nearly all countries in the region have made progress in this indicator, with the prevalence of EBF increasing over time. Southern Asia and South-eastern Asia are on track to achieve the SDG target for EBF, having made the most significant progress in the region between 2012 and 2019, while Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand has made less progress, said FAO and UNICEF.

“Eastern Asia is off-track to meet the SDG target for EBF, as the prevalence in that sub-region is decreasing.”

In Asia and the Pacific, 21 countries are currently above the target of 50 percent, including eight in Southern Asia, four in South-eastern Asia, seven in Oceania and two in Eastern Asia.

Reporting on the prevalence of low birth weight, FAO and UNICEF said low birth weight is defined as a baby who weighs less than 2.5 kilograms at birth – and can refer to babies born at term or pre-term.

“Low birth weight is a risk factor for neonatal mortality and illness, with more than 80 percent of neonatal deaths occurring in low birth weight infants,” they added.

The prevalence of low birth weight in Asia and the Pacific was 17.8 percent in 2015, higher than the global average of 14.6 percent, said FAO and UNICEF.

The prevalence of low birth weight is the highest in Southern Asia, with 26.4 percent, followed by 12.3 percent in South-eastern Asia, 9.9 percent in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand and 5.1 percent in Eastern Asia.

Most countries have made progress since 2000, with several countries reducing the prevalence of low birth weight by more than 3 percentage points: Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Maldives, Nepal and Thailand, said FAO and UNICEF.

- Third World Network