Review Article
The link between poverty and malnutrition: A South African perspective
Submitted: 22 May 2009 | Published: 18 August 2010
About the author(s)
Hester (Esté) H. Vorster, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, South AfricaAbstract
In this article, a brief review of the nutritional problems in South Africa, as well as the intergenerational, vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition, are used to argue for the necessity of including a nutrition intervention component in poverty alleviation programmes. It is concluded that this cycle can be broken by improving the nutritional status of women in their productive years, whereby foetalmalnutrition, arrested mental development and physical stunting in children, adolescents and adults can be prevented. The result will be an improvement in human capital, health and productivity with the ultimate aim of escaping poverty as suggested by the seven principles of Solomons(2005).
Opsomming
In hierdie artikel word ’n kort oorsig van die voedingsprobleme in Suid-Afrika sowel as die noodlottige siklus van wanvoeding en armoede wat oor generasies strek, gebruik om aan te voer dat dit noodsaaklik is om ’n voedingsintervensie-komponent in programme gemik op die verligting van armoede in te sluit. Daar word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die siklus gebreek kan word as die voedingstatus van vroue in hulle voortplantingsjare verbeter word. Hierdie verbetering sal fetale wanvoeding, sowel as belemmerde groei en kognitiewe ontwikkeling van kinders, adolessente en volwassenes voorkom. Die gevolg sal ’n verbetering van menskapitaal, verbeterde gesondheid en verhoogde produktiwiteit wees, met die uiteindelike doel om armoede te ontsnap soos voorgestel deur die sewe beginsels van Solomons (2005).
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Crossref Citations
1. Childhood Undernutrition and Its Predictors in a Rural Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site in South Africa
Perpetua Modjadji, Sphiwe Madiba
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 16 issue: 17 first page: 3021 year: 2019
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16173021