From Hunger To Obesity: Developing World Faces Growing Threat To Child Health
Developing nations are experiencing a 'double burden' of malnutrition and a rapid rise in childhood obesity. Scientists warn that this health crisis is shifting toward countries with the fewest resources to manage the associated non-communicable diseases.
Why it matters
It highlights a critical public health shift that threatens the long-term development and healthcare infrastructure of low-to-middle-income countries.
Intan Permatasari's mother simply couldn't refuse her daughter's pleas for food. By the time she was 4, Intan had outgrown all the kindergarten uniforms and had to wear home-sewn clothes to school.Bullied relentlessly by classmates as her struggles with obesity intensified, Intan quit school aged 12 and stayed at home south of Indonesia's capital Jakarta, rarely venturing outside."Nobody wanted to be my friend," Intan said, saying her schoolmates would pinch her arms, steal her money and throw books at her.
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