povertynutrition

Povertynutrition refers to the link between poverty and nutritional status. It encompasses the ways in which low income, food insecurity and limited access to diverse, nutritious foods contribute to malnutrition and related health risks. While it often refers to undernutrition in low-income settings, it also recognises how poverty can interact with obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases when affordable foods are energy-dense but nutrient-poor.

Drivers include household income constraints, volatile food prices, insufficient social protection, poor sanitation and health services, and exposure to shocks such as drought, conflict, or illness. Gender dynamics, time constraints, and geographic access to markets also shape dietary choices and nutrient intake.

Outcomes include child stunting, wasting, low birth weight, anemia and micronutrient deficiencies, as well as impaired cognitive development and reduced productivity. In some contexts poverty and cheap, calorie-rich foods can contribute to overweight and metabolic diseases. The pattern and severity vary by region, age, and disease burden.

Policy and programmatic responses aim to break the link between poverty and poor nutrition. They include cash transfers or food assistance, nutrition-sensitive social protection, school meal programs, fortification of staple foods, improved market access, and nutrition education. Strengthening health services, water and sanitation, and agricultural livelihoods also support nutrition. Monitoring uses indicators such as stunting, wasting, overweight, anemia, diet diversity, and household food insecurity.

Povertynutrition is studied in global health, development economics, and public policy. Challenges include data gaps, measuring causality, and avoiding policy fragmentation across sectors. Effective solutions require context-specific design, long-term commitments, and integrated action across health, agriculture, and social protection systems.