Causes and Effects of Malnutrition in Laos and Implications
Regarding the Development of this Nation Paul Alessi, Stavros
Rizakos and Megan Ylagan
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Laos Landlocked country in southeast Asia Population: 6.8 mil
GNI per capita: $4,550 o US: 53,750 85% of population works in
agriculture Result of constant war and political instability 1997-
Joined ASEAN
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Government in Laos Communist government which until recently
had a centrally controlled economy, and has now implemented a weak
market economy Laotian government cannot provide adequate services
to the people o Corruption Over half of the government budget is
provided by external assistance o Inability to act
self-sufficiently Lack of sufficient infrastructure and limits on
education cripple the production market
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What is Malnutrition? Almost a billion people go hungry every
day and a further billion people are undernourished Globally the
most important risk factor for illness and death 1 billion people
go hungry every day and a further billion people are undernourished
Affects school performance and studies have shown it often leads to
a lower income as an adult
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Causes of Malnutrition 3 main causes o Poor diet o Access o
Food shortages Mostly in rural areas Poor feeding practices
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Effects of Malnutrition Vitamin deficiencies cause poor
eyesight and sometimes when their eyes bother them enough and if
they can afford it a person will have one of their eyes removed
Weight loss due to depletion of fat and muscle mass, including
organ mass, is often the most obvious sign of malnutrition Can
cause psychosocial effects such as apathy, depression, anxiety and
self-neglect.
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Laos as a Developing Country One of the ten poorest countries
in the world Main development challenge is ensuring that the
benefits from high economic growth Slow to develop an open market
economy o All of which contribute to its continued high rate of
malnutrition 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas,
where communities are dependent on agricultural and natural
resources, leaving them vulnerable to food insecurity and
undernutrition
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Alarming Malnutrition Levels in Laos
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Malnutrition in Laos Children commonly have distended abdomens,
and many die from cases of diarrhea Laoss nationwide stunting
average is 44 percent among under-fives, and stunting rates are as
high as 58 percent in the northern highland provinces Lao Peoples
Democratic Republic has one of the highest consumptions of rice per
capita in the world which lacks adequate nutrients Laos struggles
with the second-highest rate of malnutrition in East Asia and the
Pacific
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Perpetual Cycle of Malnutrition Malnutrition is not only effect
of underdevelopment, but is also a cause Malnutrition has
detrimental effects on life expectancy Low life expectancy
decreases average worker productivity Low worker productivity
results in less development and lack of necessary resources
Malnutrition is cause and effect of Underdevelopment