It can come from many places. For some it is an inherent personality trait, for others it may stem from what was modelled growing up
mental health38 minutes ago
India is home to the world's largest number of stunted children due to a lack of toilets, dirty water and poor hygiene, according to a new study published on Tuesday.
Despite high economic growth in recent years, India has more stunted children than Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Republic of Congo combined, with 48 million under the age of five - about 30 per cent of the global total, a WaterAid report said.
Stunting is a form of malnutrition in which children are shorter than normal for their age and is largely irreversible after the age of two.
If they survive, they grow up physically and intellectually weaker than their better-fed peers.
WaterAid says a lack of toilets and clean water are causing high levels of stunting in India. That is because high rates of open defecation lead to contamination that can spread disease and infection.
Data collated by WaterAid showed that 140,000 children die every year from diarrhoea in India, while 76 million do not have access to safe water and 774 million live without adequate sanitation.
"India has the highest number of people in the world... practising open defecation, which spreads deadly diseases and makes children more susceptible to diarrhoea and other infections," said Megan Wilson-Jones, WaterAid health and hygiene analyst.
"So it is no surprise that so many children in India suffer from stunted growth," she added. Open defecation has long been a major health and sanitation problem in India, where almost 594 million people - nearly half the population - defecate in the open, according to Unicef.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need to clean up India since storming to power in 2014 and has repeatedly urged every household to have a toilet within four years to end the spread of disease.
Nigeria ranked second with 10.3 million stunted children while Pakistan stood third in WaterAid's study with 9.9 million.
Impoverished Bangladesh fared better than its bigger, wealthier neighbour India, recording 5.5 million cases in its 160 million-strong population.
Stunting: Consequence of malnutrition
> Stunting is a consequence of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception until age two
> It is irreversible after the age of two, making those first 1,000 days critical to a child's development. > Some 140,000 children under five in India die each year of diarrhoeal diseases related to the lack of these basic services.
Around 50 per cent of malnutrition cases are linked to infections, including chronic diarrhoea, caused by lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene including hand-washing with soap
It can come from many places. For some it is an inherent personality trait, for others it may stem from what was modelled growing up
mental health38 minutes ago
shashi tharoors world of words
Misonomer is a term which doesn’t mean what the words themselves suggest it means
shashi tharoors world of words39 minutes ago
Ugandan expat on her ever-evolving relationship with money
women and money39 minutes ago
Make the most of this waiting period without succumbing to stress
parenting39 minutes ago
Australian expat Renée McGowan on her latest book 'The Friday Email' and why cognitive diversity will define business success going forward
books39 minutes ago
97 per cent of most engaged employees are likely to stay with their company next year
uae47 minutes ago
Demand for bigger units increased substantially after the coronavirus pandemic as residents were restricted indoor due to safety and precautionary measures
realty55 minutes ago
The event featured a wide array of research topics, reflecting the institution's multidisciplinary approach to research
kt network1 hour ago