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How can poverty contribute to malnutrition?
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nutritional disease
Children with rickets. The disease, which most commonly strikes children, causes bone deformities such as bowlegs. Rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D or calcium.
Poverty is a primary driver of malnutrition because it limits an individual's or a community's access to sufficient, nutritious food. When financial resources are scarce, people often cannot afford a balanced diet, leading to the consumption of quantitatively inadequate amounts of calories and protein, or a lack of essential vitamins and minerals.12
In both industrialized and developing nations, poverty creates significant barriers to health and nutrition. These include:2
- Limited Purchasing Power: Rising costs of living, stagnant wages, and low income restrict the ability to buy healthy food, often forcing individuals to substitute nutritious options with cheaper, less-nutritious alternatives.3
- Food Insecurity: Poverty is closely linked to food insecurity, where individuals face uncertain access to food, leading to skipped meals and poor dietary quality.3
- Systemic Barriers: In many areas, poverty is compounded by the presence of food deserts, where access to fresh, healthy food is physically limited.3
- Health Impacts: The lack of financial resources can also prevent access to medical care, worsening the effects of existing health conditions that contribute to malnutrition.3
Ultimately, poverty denies people the opportunity to obtain the resources necessary for a healthy life, perpetuating cycles of chronic undernutrition and poor development.2