Luanda, July 14, 2025 (Lusa) - Almost half of children under five in southern Angola suffer from chronic malnutrition and only 3.5% have a minimally acceptable diet, according to a study warning of worsening food insecurity in the region.
"Overall chronic malnutrition in the region is classified as “very high”, at 47.1%, and is higher in Huíla and Cunene," according to the study published in Acta Portuguesa de Nutrição by Isa Viana, Carla Lopes, Duarte Torres and Rita Pereira Luís (University of Porto), co-authored by Ketha Francisco (Angolan Ministry of Health) and Liliana Granja and Sofia Rodrigues (FRESAN/Camões, I.P.).
The analysis, based on surveys conducted over the last 15 years in the provinces of Cunene, Huíla and Namibe, shows a worrying trend: "overall, in the last 15 years, in southern Angola, the nutritional status and eating habits of children under 5 appear to have worsened".
According to the study, "overall chronic malnutrition in the region is classified as “very high”, at 47.1%, and is higher in Huíla and Cunene".
The prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) also remains high, with figures reaching 19.3% in Huíla and 12.4% in Cunene in 2021, according to the combined assessment criteria.
"The prevalence of GAM in southern Angola, most recently estimated in AVSAN 2021 [Food and Nutrition Vulnerability and Security Assessment conducted in Angola in 2021] (9.0%), is about twice the target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Global Nutrition Targets 2025 (< 5%)", the authors point out.
On the other hand, only 3.5% of children in the region have a diet considered adequate according to the Minimum Acceptable Diet criteria, which assesses whether children between 6 and 23 months consume foods from at least four food groups and eat the minimum recommended number of meals.
"The diversity and frequency of food consumption among children aged 6 to 23 months appear to be decreasing," the researchers point out.
Despite the negative trend in the main nutritional indicators, the study highlights a positive finding: exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age is high, reaching 73.1% in Cunene and 63.2% in Huíla, exceeding the 50% target set by the WHO for 2025.
The study links the situation to severe food insecurity caused by prolonged drought and calls for urgent measures, recommending "systematic monitoring of the nutritional status and assessment of individual food consumption among children in the region".
The authors also advocate strengthening the training of health professionals in nutrition and investing in specialised infrastructure.
"Although political strategies and intervention programmes to mitigate child malnutrition and food insecurity already exist, the results show that these problems remain a challenge," they conclude.
The scientific review was carried out under FRESAN - Programme to Strengthen Resilience and Food and Nutritional Security in Angola, an Angolan government initiative financed by the European Union with €65 million.
Implemented between 2018 and 2025, the programme aimed to combat hunger and poverty in the southern provinces, particularly in the areas most affected by drought.
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