30% of Ghanaian children stunted

Sixteen per cent of children in the Ashanti Region are stunted, the Ashanti Regional Deputy Director for Public Health, Dr Michael Rockson Adjei has said.

The Ashanti Regional Deputy Director for Public Health disclosed this at a sensitisation workshop for the media held in Kumasi on Friday, 19 March 2021.

It was held on the ‘Start Right Feed Right’ from birth to 2 years campaign.

Dr Rockson Adjei noted that the brains of children, who are unable to grow to the expected height for their age, are affected.

He stated: “The first survey that came out shows that if you take every 10 children, 3 of them are stunted. They have not grown to the height that is expected of their age and when a child is not grown in height by the age as expected, it also affects the brain.”

He further noted that the brain development of children lags behind once they do not grow to the expected height for their age and this affects them later in life.

“Just like he’s not been able to grow in height, the brain development also lags behind and when a child’s brain development lags behind, it means that in school, he’ll not perform well. If you send him to learn a trade, he’ll not be able to learn it well. So, you’ll get probably an adult who has learned a trade but is not perfect in it or somebody has managed to go through some education but still lacks something,” Dr Rockson Adjei said.

He added: “The last survey that was done in Ashanti Region here, we realise the stunting has come down a little, it’s now 16 per cent.”

The Ashanti Regional Deputy Director for Public Health further stressed the need for a 4-star diet at every meal consisting of legumes, vegetables and fruits, starchy foods and animal source for all children.

Stunting is the loss of potential in height.