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Malnutrition is the immediate result of inadequate dietary intake, the presence of disease or the interaction between these two factors. It is a complicated problem, an outcome of several etiologies. SAM is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children under the age of five in developing countries. Although studies in Botswana show some improvement in child malnutrition since the 1980s, severe acute malnutrition still remains a cause for concern in many parts of the country. There is little information on undernourishment situation of children under the age of five years in the urban areas of the country.

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Abigail Piniel works as a child health nursing lecturer. She studied Bachelor of Nursing Science with the University of Botswana. She also studied Masters of Arts in Child and Family studies with the University of the Western Cape. With so much passion towards health challenges faced in childhood; she has worked as a nurse in the pediatric ward.

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