Malnutrition: Sub-Saharan Africa versus the United States of America

Indianapolis, IN

Malnutrition is a global epidemic, with 2.5 billion people experiencing malnutrition in 2014 according to the World Health Organization; however, a large portion of the American population believe that malnutrition is only felt in underdeveloped and third world countries. In our research, we examine the rates of malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa in comparison with malnutrition rates in the United States of America. Addressing first the general ignorance within American culture that the term malnutrition only refers to food insecure and starving individuals, we define malnutrition as “a deficiency or excess in a person’s intake of nutrients and other dietary elements needed for healthy living” and list each of its subdivisions: Overweight, Obese, Food Insecurity, and Starvation. Using public as well as private sector data, we conclude that the geographical regions of the United States of America and Sub-Saharan Africa have similar rates of malnutrition. We further explore the major causes of malnutrition prevalent in each region, as well as hypothesize steps to help curb the growth and or stagnation of each geographical region’s malnutrition rates.