A Proactive Path to Combat Malnutrition in Sri Lanka

Series: Health and Education

In Sri Lanka, one in five children (under five years old) are underweight and one in six babies are born underweight. Growth failures in childhood can have long-term effects that cause health problems in adulthood. Moreover, malnutrition is a vicious cycle that spans generations. While Sri Lanka spends about LKR 15 billion on nutrition programmes every year, these are not targeted properly and are ineffective. This publication explores policy measures that can be taken to improve the nutrition status of children in Sri Lanka.