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Globally, adequate food is produced to feed everyone. Yet with excess food production and essential nutrients for a healthy growth and development, there are millions of children dying world-wide due to inadequate access to food, inappropriate breastfeeding & complementary feeding. Resulting in inadequate dietary intake among children and women, the most vulnerable to the effects of the inadequacies. Even though, it´s a global issue, the impact is severe in rural communities with limited alternatives for accessing food. There is evidence which indicates that malnutrition affect performance, health and survival. It also affects their physical growth, morbidity, mortality, cognitive development,reproduction, physical work capacity and risks for developing many chronic diseases in adulthood. The risk of developing chronic diseases is increasing in developing countries now. The study measured the effects of the changes in young child and maternal undernutrition used four indicators; stunting, wasting, underweight and BMI. However, when these challenges of undernutrition among young children are identified early and interventions are initiated timely, then it becomes cost effective.

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The author, Martin Nyaaba Adokiya, was born in 1979, Ghana. He has a BSc.Community Nutrition,MPH in Population and Reproductive Health,Ghana and Certificate, Reproductive Health & Development,JHSPH,USA. He is currently in Germany to pursue a Ph.D at the University of Heidelberg and a Lecturer with the University for Development Studies, Ghana.

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