Essay: Comparison and Contrast of Malnutrition in Developed/Developing

This essay provides a comparative analysis of malnutrition in developed and developing countries, examining the causes, effects, and government responses to this global health issue. It explores how economic factors, population density, and policy failures contribute to malnutrition in developing nations, while also addressing the issues of nutrient imbalance in developed countries. The essay highlights the negative impacts of malnutrition on health, economic growth, and political stability, emphasizing the similarities in social, health, and economic costs across both types of nations. It concludes by discussing the government initiatives, such as the ICDS scheme in India and bio-fortification programs in the US, aimed at improving nutrition and addressing the challenges of malnutrition. The essay emphasizes that despite the differences in causes, the overall impact and the need for intervention are consistent across both developed and developing nations.

Comparison and Contrast of Malnutrition in Developed and Developing Countries
Malnutrition is an undernourishment condition that stems from eating disorders causing
health issues. It is considered as a chronic illness that prohibits the individuals from absorbing
nutrients. Malnutrition damages the vital organs and functions in a human body which is mostly
seen in the case of poorer and developing countries. This essay shall provide a comparison and
similarities between the malnourished people of developed and developing countries. The three
areas that shall be covered in comparison and contrast are the causes of malnutrition, effects and
government responses of malnutrition in developed and developing countries.
The first area of comparison and contrast is causes of malnutrition. In case of developing
countries, economic factors come into role play where the income of the people is so low that
they cannot afford to have a healthy diet. Moreover, the increasing population in countries like
India and China also leads to malnutrition as they have poor drinking water facilities, conflicts
and others (Sehgal, Dhooria, & Agarwal, 2017). Additionally, there is governance and policy
failure where there is failure in achieving the desired targets by the government. It is noted that
the developing countries suffer from diseases related to malnutrition like vitamin and iron
deficiency that may cause rickets, anaemia and others (Yadavar, 2018). This is different from the
case of developed countries like America which experience malnutrition. Even though the
technology is advanced in the developing countries, not all are able to access a balanced diet.
The developed countries may experience excess intake of nutrients that may result in allergic
reactions, overdose of vitamin, over-calcification of bones and others. The causes of malnutrition
in developed and developing nations may be different, but it leads down the same road of
negative impact (Bush & Welsh, 2015).

Malnutrition has negative impacts on the society. There is a need to compare and contrast
the political, economic and health impacts. The undernourished children have poor immune
systems due to which they are susceptible to illness and infections. The health consequences are
similar as seen in the case of developed nations (Holz et al., 2015). It is noted that malnutrition
perpetuates poverty and economic growth. It leads to indirect loss for the nation due to reduced
school attainment, creates an education gap and eventually affects the employment level. This is
different from that of developed nations in which the income of countries like Europe and UK
are lost in fighting nutrition. Significant costs are incurred in fighting the diseases caused due to
malnutrition because of which there is substantial human costs and lifelong economic
consequences (Venables & Raine, 2016). The similarity between the economic consequences of
both developed and developing nations is that instead of investing in significant areas, both
developed and developing nations have to spend on fixing chronic under-nutrition and nutrient
deficiencies (Ibrahim et al., 2017). The political involvement in malnutrition is different in cases
of developed and developing countries. The developing nations may not be able to implement
national programs with ambitious policies (Venables & Raine, 2016). However, in the case of
developed nations, political approach is easy to implement. As seen in the case of Madagascar,
there are centres established to provide education on nutrition and supply appropriate food
through an association based approach called Nutri’zaza (Gret, 2012). Be it the case of
developed or developing nations, both the type of nations suffer from economic, health and
social cost.
The government of both developed and developing nations are greatly aware of the
problem of malnutrition and its negative impact. Therefore, they are taking initiatives in fixing
the nourishment condition of the respective nations. The developing nations are taking initiatives

to fix the nutrition system and overall health of the citizens. For example, India launched The
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in 1975 in which the programme helped
in reaching childhood care and development (Pacsindia.org, 2018). Currently, the government
undertakes Swatchh Bharat Mission where they are providing clean drinking water and
constructing toilets to improve the standard of living among the citizens. Further, the government
has taken steps for rice fortification to deal with the vitamin deficient women and children
(Swachhbharaturban.in, 2018). Similarly, developed nations like America and Africa are
implementing strategies like bio-fortification where food crops are grown that have ample
amount of vitamin and minerals (Correia et al., 2014). The US Department of Agriculture help
the countries in raising incomes so that they can afford healthy food. Since 2010, the nation
aligned programs to ‘Feed the Future’ for supporting agricultural developments in Kenya, Africa,
Central America and others (Usda.gov, 2018). Therefore, the government interventions are
similar in case of developed and developing nations.
Conclusively, the malnutrition causes are different for developed and developing nations.
However, the social, health and economic costs are same in case of both nations. Moreover, with
increasing awareness, the government is taking initiatives to fix the malnutrition issue.

References
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