Expert comment: Many poorer countries suffer a double burden of malnutrition
Dr Rishi Caleyachetty, Assistant Professor at Warwick Medical School comments on the Lancet report published today.
He said: "The Lancet report highlights the fact that globally many countries and communities are confronted with the double burden of malnutrition - that is undernutrition (stunting or thinness) and overnutrition (overweight or obesity).
"The report encourages the exclusive focus on factors such global access to ultra-processed foods and people exercising less rather than taking a system-wide perspective and considering macrolevel contextual factors - such war, government corruption, national economic performance, food insecurity and urbanization - that drive some of the patterns of malnutrition globally.
"Many countries also do not monitor or do not have systems to monitor the double burden of malnutrition routinely. Unless we consider these factors comprehensively, we cannot expect to address the double burden of malnutrition."
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