Why do hunger and over-nutrition exist at the same time around the world?
Examine global nutrition issues, including undernutrition, the double burden of malnutrition and the social and economic factors behind them
Globally, undernutrition and over-nutrition exist side by side. Poverty, conflict, climate and unequal food distribution drive hunger, while the nutrition transition spreads diet-related disease, creating a double burden of malnutrition.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to examine global nutrition issues, both undernutrition and over-nutrition, and explain the social and economic factors that drive them.
Undernutrition and hunger
Undernutrition occurs when people do not get enough energy or nutrients. It includes chronic hunger, stunting (impaired growth in children) and micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, vitamin A and iodine deficiency, sometimes called hidden hunger because it is not always visible.
Undernutrition harms growth, immunity, learning and productivity, and in children it can cause lifelong effects. It is most severe among the poorest people and in regions affected by crisis.
Why hunger exists
A key idea is that hunger is mostly a problem of access and distribution, not total food supply. The world produces enough food in aggregate, yet people go hungry because they cannot afford, reach or grow it. Major causes include:
- Poverty: people lack the money to buy enough nutritious food.
- Conflict and instability: war disrupts farming, markets and aid.
- Climate and environment: droughts, floods and crop failures cut local supply.
- Unequal distribution: food and wealth are spread unevenly between and within countries, and food is wasted at large scale.
Over-nutrition and the double burden
At the same time, over-nutrition is rising worldwide. The nutrition transition describes how, as incomes rise and processed foods spread, diets shift towards more energy, sugar, fat and salt and less activity, increasing obesity and diet-related disease.
The result is the double burden of malnutrition: undernutrition and over-nutrition existing together, sometimes in the same country, community or even household, where one person may be undernourished and another overweight.
Responses to global nutrition issues
Responses include food aid and emergency relief for crises, longer-term development that improves incomes, farming and infrastructure, fortification of staple foods with micronutrients, and education. The most durable solutions tackle the underlying causes such as poverty and inequality, rather than only treating symptoms, which links to food security and sustainability in Topic 4.
Why this matters
Global nutrition issues show that food choice and health are shaped by forces far beyond the individual. Examining both ends of malnutrition, and the social and economic causes, prepares you to evaluate complex issues in the examination rather than offering simple answers.
In short, global nutrition issues span undernutrition and over-nutrition occurring together as a double burden, driven mainly by poverty, conflict, climate and unequal distribution rather than a simple global food shortage.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SACE Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
2019 SACE Stage 220 marksOption topic 2 (Global hunger): 'By 2050, the world must feed 9 billion people. The demand for food will be 60% greater than it is today.' Discuss two reasons why an unstable government may threaten its country's food security, and two health implications for individuals who rely on a staple food (such as rice or corn) that their community has difficulty cultivating.Show worked answer →
This is an extended response. Plan it as four developed paragraphs and use real examples.
Unstable government, reason 1: Conflict and political instability disrupt farming and transport. Fields are abandoned, supply chains break down and markets close, so food cannot be produced or distributed reliably (about 3 marks).
Unstable government, reason 2: Weak or corrupt governance means little investment in agriculture, irrigation, storage or food-relief systems, and aid may be diverted, so people cannot reliably access affordable food (about 3 marks).
Health implication 1: Relying on a single staple that is hard to grow leads to undernutrition when harvests fail - inadequate energy intake causes wasting, stunting in children and weakened immunity (about 3 marks).
Health implication 2: A monotonous staple-only diet lacks variety, causing micronutrient deficiencies such as iron-deficiency anaemia, vitamin A deficiency (blindness) or protein-energy malnutrition (about 3 marks).
The remaining marks reward structure, balanced discussion and clear use of nutrition terminology.
2018 SACE Stage 220 marksOption topic 2 (Global hunger): Water scarcity is an 'insufficient supply of clean water to meet the water needs of a community'. Discuss two ways in which a drought contributes to food shortages and famine, and two water-borne diseases and how they affect individuals and the community.Show worked answer →
Treat this as a structured extended response with four developed sections.
Drought, way 1: Lack of rainfall and irrigation water means crops fail and yields fall sharply. Less food is produced, supplies dwindle and prices rise, contributing to food shortages (about 3 marks).
Drought, way 2: Drought also kills livestock through lack of pasture and drinking water, removing a key food and income source. Combined crop and livestock losses over successive seasons can tip a region into famine (about 3 marks).
Water-borne disease 1: Cholera spreads through water contaminated with faeces. It causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration in individuals and can overwhelm communities during outbreaks, increasing deaths and reducing the workforce (about 3 marks).
Water-borne disease 2: Typhoid fever, also spread through contaminated water, causes prolonged fever and gut illness, keeping people too sick to work or farm and straining limited health services (about 3 marks).
Remaining marks reward coherent structure and links back to food security and nutrition.