Which statement about malnutrition is false?

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Question restatement: Which statement about malnutrition is false?

Option a: 'Almost 80 million young children suffer from some degree of vitamin A deficiency.' This figure is often debated and can be higher or lower depending on the year and the survey method. While vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem in many regions, suggesting a precise and as-high-as-80-million count may overstate or misrepresent current estimates in some reports. The takeaway is that vitamin A deficiency remains a public health concern, but the 80 million figure is not universally accepted as accurate across all global assessments.

Option b: 'Globally about 20% of children under 5 are "stunted".' This aligns with widely cited global estimates, which place stunting in the ballpark of about 20% of children under five in many recent years. While exact percentages shift slightly by year and data source, describing global stunting around the 20% level is generally considered true.

Option c: 'Iodine deficiency is very uncommon because of widespread iodised salt use.' This statement is the problematic one. Although iodised salt has reduced iodine deficiency in many populations, it is not universal or perfectly effective everywhere. Some regions still experience iodine deficiency or goiter due to limited access to iodised salt, poor consumption of iodised salt, or dietary patterns. Therefore, claiming iodine deficiency is 'very uncommon' worldwide overlooks these ongoing pockets of deficiency and monitoring gaps, making this statement false.

Option d: 'Over 30 percent of the world have iron deficiency anaemia (IDA).' Global IDA affects a large portion of the population, especially among women and children, but most global estimates place IDA prevalence around the mid-20s to low-30s percentage range. Saying it is 'over 30 percent' is an overstatement relative to many standard estimates, though some data periods may approach that figure. The general point that IDA is widespread is true, but the precise claim of 'over 30 percent' tends to be exaggeration in typical global statistics, making it arguable as false in strict terms.

In summary, evaluating each option for accuracy: option a is potentially overstated but can be debated with different data; option b is broadly consistent with global figures; option c is the clearest false claim because iodine deficiency is not universally uncommon thanks to iodised salt yet there are still affected populations; option d is close to contested depending on year and source but is commonly considered an overestimate in many standard references. The statement that iodine deficiency is 'very uncommon' (option c) is the one that most clearly misrepresents the current nuance in global iodine status.

Which statement about malnutrition is false?

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