§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent 423W estimate is of levels of malnutrition in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Malawi and (c) the Democratic Republic of Congo. [149979]
§ Hilary BennThere are a number of ways to measure malnutrition. Height for age (stunting) is the most common way of measuring chronic poverty and malnutrition by showing the percentage of children that have not reached an expected height at a given age. According to UNICEF and correct up to 2001, the stunting rates for Ethiopia, Malawi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are 52 per cent., 49 per cent., and 38 per cent. respectively.
Wasting is an indicator that better measures short-term changes in malnutrition during an emergency by showing the percentage of children that are underweight in relation to their height. It is more difficult to determine for a country because it varies according to the degree of emergency and tends to be area focused rather than reflect a national trend. For example, in Ethiopia, 2002–03 figures for wasting rose as high as 32 per cent. in some areas. The same areas—a few months later—showed rates of 8 per cent. following the emergency operation.