Hidden hunger refers to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals that negatively impact health. It is a problem globally but especially in developing countries where diets lack nutrient variety. Fighting hidden hunger is important because it can increase child and maternal mortality, limit economic growth, and contribute to global poverty. Key players in hidden hunger include vitamin A, zinc, iron, iodine, and folic acid. Globally, an estimated two billion people suffer from deficiencies in these micronutrients. National surveys in India show high prevalences of deficiencies like anemia, goiter, and xerophthalmia. Coverage of interventions to reduce deficiencies, such as iron/folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and massive dose vitamin A programs,

1. Role of Micronutrients in
control of Hidden Hunger
Presented By
Mukul Kumar Soni
MSc. Ist Year
Applied Nutrition
NIN
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2. Hidden Hunger is defined as ...
Deficiencies in essential micronutrients (vitamins &
minerals) in individuals or populations which
negatively impact on health, cognition, function,
survival, and economic development.
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3. • Hidden hunger is a problem that impacts
both the developing and the developed
countries. The most obvious victims are in
developing countries where the diet does
not provide them with the variety of foods
that ensure that they get the minerals and
vitamins.
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5. Fighting Hidden Hunger is
important because…..
• It can increase Child and Maternal
mortality.
• Limits the productivity and economic
growth of nations.
• Contributes to global poverty.
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6. The Impact of Hidden Hunger
• Globally, an estimated two billion people suffer from
a chronic deficiency of essential vitamins and
minerals (micronutrients).
• Micronutrient deficiencies account for appoximately
7% of the global disease burden.
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7. • In most of the 20 countries with the highest Hidden
Hunger Index scores, 40 percent of preschool children
were estimated to be stunted, more than 30 percent were
anaemic due to iron deficiency and more than half were
vitamin A deficient.
Source: The Global Hidden Hunger Indices and Maps
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8. Source: unicef
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9. The Key Players in Hidden Hunger
• Vitamin A
• Zinc
• Iron
• Iodine,
• Folic acid,etc.
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10. Vitamin A Deficiency
• Affects 40-60% of children under five in developing
countries, compromising their immune systems, resulting
in a millions deaths a year.
• Globally 5 million children under the age of five are
affected with serious eye disorder, Xerophthalmia as a
result of vitamin A deficiency
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11. Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA)
• Moderate and severe IDA adversely affects
immunity, cognitive and motor development,
physical performance and reproductive health
(premature birth, low birth weight and perinatal
mortality). It is estimated that anaemia is the direct
cause of maternal deaths in 20% and contributory
cause in another 20%.
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12. Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD)
• Goitre is the clinical manifestation of iodine
deficiency disorder. The functional consequences are:
• Permanent brain damage, (cretinism, - mental
retardation, and deaf mutism),
• Reproductive failure, and decreased child survival.
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13. Zinc Deficiency
• Zinc is essential for growth and development. Zinc
supplementation has been reported to help linear
growth, reduce severity and duration of diarrhea, and
respiratory infections and reduce child mortality.
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14. Folate deficiency
• Is responsible for 20,0000 severe birth defects every
year.
• Is associated with 1 in every 10 deaths from disease
in adults.
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15. Prevalence of Clinical signs of Micronutrients
deficiencies
NNMB Technical Report No. 22
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Source: MND-NNMB, Tech Rep 22, 2003

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19. NNMB Technical Report No. 22
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20. NNMB Technical Report No. 22
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21. Coverage for Iron and Folic Acid (IFA)
Tablets Distribution under (NACP)
• In this programme supplements containing 100 mg of elemental
iron + 500 μg folicacid are given to pregnant women for 100 days
during pregnancy; 20 mg elemental iron and 100 μg folic acid are
given daily to preschool children for 100 days in the year.
• The proportion of pregnant women who reportedly received iron
& folic acid tablets ranged from a high 70-80% in the States
Maharashtra (77.6%), Orissa (72.9%), West Bengal (70.6%),
through 6 67% in the States of Karnataka (67.2%) and Tamil
Nadu (62.4), about 50% in the States of Madhya Pradesh (51.2%)
and Andhra Pradesh (48.5), to a low 38.2% in the State of Kerala.
NNMB Technical Report No. 22
sources: Indian National Science Academy
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22. Coverage under Massive Dose Vitamin A
Programme
• In this programme children between 6-60 months are given
200,000 IU of vitamin A, every six months as prophylactic
dose. Vitamin A being fat soluble, is stored in the liver and a
massive dose would ensure adequate storage to last for at least
6 months.
• About 58% of the preschool children reportedly received at
least one dose of massive vitamin A.
• The extent of coverage was maximum in the State of
Orissa(80%), followed by Tamil Nadum(63%), Karnataka
(56.5%), the States of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal,
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (51-53%), with the least
being in Kerala (44%).
NNMB Technical Report No. 22
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23. Association of Socio-economic and Demographic
Variables with the Prevalence of Micronutrient
Deficiencies – Multivariate Analysis
• The analysis revealed that the risk of developing Bitot spots
was twice in the children of SC/ST communities as compared
to the children of other communities.
• The risk of having goiter was seven times higher among
children belonging to Muslim and six times higher among
Hindu communities, compared to Christians.
• The risk of developing anaemia was two folds higher among
the preschool children belonging to Hindu and Muslim
religion compared to Christians
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24. Source: The Global Hidden Hunger Indices and Maps:
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