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Malnutrition

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies

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Introduction

On 1 April 2016, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed the period of 2016–2025 the “United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.” This reflects the growing international need to address various forms of malnutrition.

Malnutrition entails three types of problems related to a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. As a deficiency, malnutrition refers to undernutrition. This category includes “wasting” (that is, having low weight for height), stunted growth (having low height for age), and underweight (having low weight for one’s age). The second broad group refers to micronutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micronutrient deficiencies as well as excessive intake. The third type of malnutrition includes overweight, obesity, and diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

Various forms of malnutrition impact on rural and urban populations, females and males, adults and children, and areas of conflict and peace differently. Its implications require...

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Further Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Corvinus University of Budapest, Oslo, Norway

    Júlia Palik

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  1. Júlia Palik
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Correspondence to Júlia Palik .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alberta, Alberta, AB, Canada

    Scott Romaniuk

  2. University for Peace, San Jose, Costa Rica

    Manish Thapa

  3. Nemzetkozi Tanulmanyok Intezet, Rm 503, Corvinus Univ, Inst of Intl Studies, Budapest, Hungary

    Péter Marton

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Palik, J. (2019). Malnutrition. In: Romaniuk, S., Thapa, M., Marton, P. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74336-3_478-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74336-3_478-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-74336-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-74336-3

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