(Ecns.cn)—China suffered more than 1.6 trillion yuan ($ 251.7 billion) of economic losses in previous year due to malnutrition in undeveloped areas, which amounted to 4% of its GDP, according to the report on the nutritional and health status of the school age population released earlier in September by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The most afflicted population is the 15 million children between the ages of 0 and 14 years old in poverty-ridden regions. This has led to a 2% to 9% labor loss in the country," elaborated Ma Guansheng, one of the leading experts who composed the report.
Childhood malnutrition has long been a problem for the country. In many undeveloped western areas, they have nothing for breakfast, and only salty beans and rice for lunch and supper, said the China Economic Weekly on Thursday.
The lack of meat and eggs in their diet ends in malnutrition among the population. Children in poor areas, as a result, are 3- 4 cm shorter in height, and 10- 15% lower in intelligence quotient than their counterparts in more developed regions.
The 1.6 trillion yuan loss, according to Ma, can be ascribed growth retardation, iodine deficiency, and anemia in both adults and children
