Perspective Chapter: Malnutrition and Air Pollution in Latin America – Impact of Two Stressors on Children’s Health

Abstract

Nowadays, the evolution of the concept of nutrition has acquired a notion of three concurrent dimensions. Nutrition was considered an exclusively biological process while now, it comprises social and ecological aspects. Inadequate nutrition and air pollution are two major nongenetic environmental factors known to cause serious public health problems worldwide. Air pollution does not impact in the same way on the population at large, being particularly the children one of the most vulnerable subpopulations. Additionally, the nutritional status may modify the susceptibility to air pollution exposure and cause a wide range of acute and chronic cardio-respiratory diseases. Moreover, undernutrition is identified as a major health problem with devastating healthcare effects on the individual, social, and economic development. On a global scale, chronic undernourishment affects 144 million children younger than 5 years. However, the mechanism linking undernutrition and air pollution exposure still remains unclear. At present, only few epidemiological studies have been reported associating child malnutrition and air pollution. Therefore, a better understanding of the interactions between undernutrition and air pollution exposure is needed to guide action by individuals and governments.