is the outcome of chronic nutritional deficiency over time, causing irreversible damage to a child’s development. It’s visible when a child’s height is too low for their age. It often starts before birth and is perpetuated by poor food quality, inadequate child feeding practices, frequent infections and poor maternal health and nutrition.
In Timor-Leste, despite improvements, malnutrition remains widespread in rural and urban communities and across a range of household incomes. Nationally, around — one of the highest rates in the world.
Preventing stunting has inter-generational human, social, and economic benefits for individuals, households and the nation. But to make a sustained impact for healthy future generations, we need to work better together. Evidence tells us we need to boost efforts in multiple sectors—including water, sanitation, education, family planning, agriculture, dietary diversity, child feeding and social inclusion.