UNICEF decries undernourishment of adolescent girls, women of reproductive age in Nigeria

A new global report released by UNICEF on Tuesday has revealed that the number of teenage girls and women aged 15 to 49 who are undernourished has increased from 5.6 million in 2018 to 7.3 million in 2021 in Nigeria.

The report which was issued ahead of International Women’s Day, warns that the ongoing crises, aggravated by unending gender inequality, are deepening a nutrition crisis among adolescent girls and women that had already shown little improvement in the last two decades.

The Executive Director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, said “This nutrition crisis is pushing millions of mothers and their children into hunger and severe malnutrition,” adding that “Without urgent action from the international community, the consequences could last for generations to come.”

According to the report, more than one billion adolescent girls and women suffer from undernutrition (including underweight and short height), deficiencies in essential micronutrients, and anaemia, with devastating consequences for their lives and well-being.

According to the 2022 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey, 55% of adolescent girls and women in Nigeria have anaemia, and 49% of Nigerian women of reproductive age do not follow the recommended diet of at least 5 out of 10 food groups (grains and tubers, pulses, nuts and seeds, dairy, meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, other vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, other vegetables, and other fruits).

According to UNICEF, this can lead to weakened immunity, poor cognitive development, and an increased risk of life-threatening complications including during pregnancy and childbirth – risking mothers’ lives, also, with dangerous and irreversible consequences for their children’s survival, growth, learning, and future earning capacity.