Impact of economics crisis on nutritional status: case examples - Thailand.

Malnutrition has long been recognized as a consequence of poverty. It is also increasingly clear that it is also a cause of poverty. Poverty, which has degraded human lives for centuries, has shown dramatic reduction in the 20 century. Economic growth has therefore been a powerful means to eradicate poverty, raise productivity and incomes of poor people, improve nutrition and expand opportunities and choices in a variety of ways. With respect to nutrition improvement, in several parts of the world, notably East Asia, there have been dramatic gains in reducing malnutrition especially child malnutrition. But overall, the absolute number of malnourished children worldwide has grown. Poor nutrition in children seriously compromises their growth, development and learning capacity, and sets up a disastrous trend towards damaging the productive capacities of nations at large (UNDP, 1997).