In a country with so many problems already, it is no surprise that health issues are a rising concern too!
The Planning and Development Division, of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, revealed in its latest National Nutrition Survey just how poor is the health condition of the majority of the elderly population in Pakistan.
The statistics of the survey show that around 53.9% of the elderly population of Pakistan do not fall under the category of normal weight; they are either malnourished or underweight or fall at the opposite end of the spectrum and are overweight and obese.
A total of 7,612 elderly were observed at their residence to reveal that 15.8 percent of them were underweight, 24.2% overweight and 13.95 obese! These figures clearly indicate the prevalence of a wasting and micronutrient malnutrition society.
Some of the reasons for these appalling statistics are absence of a good, nutrient diet, generally poor health conditions of the mothers and their children, prevalence of a high number of life threatening diseases and low mineral content in the soil. The survey further stated that the low mineral nutritional content, especially the lack of iodine and zinc, in soil results in the high occurrence of diseases and eventually, death of many women and their children.
Malnutrition and the presence of endemic diseases are all attributed to Pakistan’s general state of affairs. The prevailing poverty, the lack of resources and awareness, high illiteracy rate, food insecurity and the fact that majority of the people in Pakistan do not have proper, continuous access to food, let alone age-appropriate and good quality one, are the basic reasons for the malnourished and poor health of the elderly population.
