Several countries have made good progress in reducing underweight prevalence in Latin America. Cuba, for example, has reduced its underweight prevalence by more than half in just four years. Reductions were also made in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Peru. Chile has the lowest underweight prevalence (just 1 per cent). However, national averages tend to hide extreme disparities.
Children living in rural areas of Bolivia, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua are more than twice as likely to be underweight as children living in urban areas and in Peru, four times as likely.
(Progress for children: a report card on nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
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Gomila AA, De Grandis ES, Visconti GB, Montero SB, Bertero MI, Marietti G, Crespo D, Pico AN, Bianchi M, Gomila H A.
The prevalences of malnutrition and anaemia are high among the children admitted to Hospital de Niños de la Santísima Trinidad. Córdoba
The government of Bolivia has renewed its commitment to fight malnutrition by including the 'zero malnutrition programme' into its national development plan.
Leaders across Latin America met in March 2007 and renewed their commitment to fighting malnutrition in the region.