TITLE:
A Comprehensive Roadmap for Reversing Under-Five Malnutrition on the Arab States Based on the Sustainable Development Goals
AUTHORS:
Azza M. A. Abul-Fadl, Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh
KEYWORDS:
Sustainable Development Goals, Stunting, Malnutrition, Corruption, Islamic Teachings, Education, Poverty, Infrastructure, Safe Water, Health, Equity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.10,
September
29,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Eradicating malnutrition, which is a global problem, is one of the 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations.
Identifying indicators that can predict and prevent malnutrition is important
for ensuring physical and mental health of children. Aim: To analyze and identify the SDG indicators of Arab States influencing
stunting, as an indicator of malnutrition, among children under-five of age. Methods: Indices representing
nutrition-related SDG indicators were compiled from global SDG data for
22 countries of the Arab region. Of all SDG indicators, 76 relevant indicators
covering the 17 SDGs were identified and compiled from the global database of
UNDP. Descriptive analysis was used to correlate the indicators of stunting
(using height-for-age below 2 standard deviation score) with 77 SDG indicators. The associations were presented as
graphic illustrations. Findings: Almost two-thirds of the
SDG indicators showed some association with stunting [47 (61%)]. The
associations varied by level of income. High income countries (HIC) performed
better than the low income countries (LIC). Middle income countries (MIC) were
staggering to move towards the HIC. All the SDGs had at least 2 or more
indicators that correlated with stunting. The most significant indicator that
was associated with nutrition was the corruption index for SDG16: “Peace,
Justice and Strong Institutions”, which was reversely correlated with stunting. Conclusions: All the 17 SDGs are integral for reversing malnutrition and
can be integrated into a comprehensive
roadmap for reversing malnutrition. The high correlation with SDG17 indicates that the situation of conflict in the Arab countries is one of the
major holdbacks for development. Peace and justice are a mandate for preventing
malnutrition in children and its consequences in this region.