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2.2 Food Availability from Major Food Groups
5. When considering specific nutrient deficiencies, of paramount importance are the diversity of the diet and the contribution of specific food groups to overall dietary intake. Thus, for example, the adequate availability and consumption of fruits, vegetables and animal products are of particular importance in combatting deficiencies of vitamin A and iron. Availability of major food groups in terms of kilocalories per caput per day as averages for the triennium 1984-86 are shown in Table 2. Changes over the decade are given in Table 3 with 1974-76 as base. Changes which occurred in the availability of total dietary energy in most of the developing countries of the Region mainly resulted from increases in cereals. In China, DPR Korea, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands such increases were substantial. The availability of starchy roots and tubers decreased in 11 of
11 of the developing countries, significantly so in Fiji, Rep. of Korea and Sri Lanka, while increasing substantially in
in Democratic Kampuchea, Laos, Malaysia, Western Samoa, Vanuatu and Viet Nam. Calories from pulses and beans decreased in Bangladesh, China and Pakistan but increased significantly in Democratic Kampuchea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The availability of fats and oils generally improved in the developing countries except in Democratic Kampuchea, Nepal and the Philippines. The availability of fruit and vegetables decreased appreciably in Bangladesh and Myanmar but increased in China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. The availability of animal products generally improved in the developing countries, with the exception of Mongolia (where it is in any event high), Nepal, Pakistan, Tonga and Vanuatu.
III. PREVALENCE OF SPECIFIC NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
3.1 Dietary Energy Deficiency
6. While significant progress has been made in increasing food production in the Region, access to adequate food is still not enjoyed by all, especially the low-income groups, and large sections of the population in the Region remain malnourished. The primary nutritional problem of the Region is the deficiency of energy, generally referred to as undernutrition. In the absence of this deficiency other specific nutrient deficiencies seldom appear with the exception of iodine which is due to iodine-poor soils. Among children, energy deficiency retards growth, renders them easily susceptible to infection and lowers their learning ability; among adults it reduces productivity.
7. Undernutrition arises from an overall inadequacy of food, and hence of energy, with reduced body weight as its principal manifestation. According to FAO's estimate 1/ the proportion of undernourished 2/ in the Region has declined between 1969-71 and 1983-85 from 28.7% to 21.8%, although the absolute numbers have increased, due to rapid population growth, from 281 million to 291 million. It is mostly among these undernourished that specific nutritional deficiencies will also be found. Intakes of essential vitamins and minerals will in general be inadequate primarily due to an overall inadequate intake of food and secondly due to poor access to specific commodities that are rich sources of these micronutrients.
1/
2/
Agriculture Towards 2000, FAO, 1987.
Based on that proportion of the population estimated as having intakes less than the caloric equivalent of 1.4 BMR (basal metabolic rate).
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