Leading nutrition experts have expressed concern over the impact of the worsening economy and the rising prices of food on children under the age of five in the country, warning that the hardship will worsen Nigeria’s worrisome infant mortality and morbidity rate.
The nutritionists noted that inadequate nutrition among children under five increases their risk of death, stressing the need for improved dietary practices at this critical stage of their development.
Speaking in separate interviews, the medical experts lamented that many Nigerian parents were unable to provide their children with balanced diets due to rising poverty in the country.
In a similar report produced the National Bureau of Statistics and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the average cost of a healthy diet for a Nigerian adult rose from N858 in January to N1,241 in June 2024, the June.
The NBS report showed that the CoHD increased by 4% in the first six months of 2024, while the general inflation and food inflation rose to 33 and 40%, respectively.
The experts who spoke with journalists, warned that malnourished under-five children were more susceptible to illness and infections, which can further compromise their already fragile health.
They noted that this vulnerability was particularly alarming given the necessary growth and development stages that occur during early childhood.
