Nearly half of child deaths caused by malnutrition

Nearly half of all deaths (45%) in children under five across the world are caused by malnutrition, research has found.

It is responsible for around 3.1 million deaths in children under five annually, authors of the report published as part of The Lancet Series on maternal and child nutrition said.

Different causes of maternal and childhood malnutrition, including poor breastfeeding practices and deficiencies of vitamins and minerals were examined.

Researchers also looked at the consequences of malnutrition, including stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), and being underweight (low weight for age), all of which result in increased risk of death and illness for both pregnant women and children.