Which statement about malnutrition is false?

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Question: Which statement about malnutrition is false?

Option a: 'over 30 percent of the world have iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)'. This is generally considered plausible in global nutrition data, as IDA prevalence is often cited in the range of about 25–40% depending on the population and age group. The phrasing 'over 30 percent' is within the commonly cited upper range for certain groups and regions, so it is not obviously false. A nuanced explanation would note that IDA prevalence varies by region and by age, but many global estimates do place it around or above 30% in vulnerable populations.

Option b: 'Globally about 20% of children under 5 are "stunted"'. Global stunting prevalence in children under 5 has been reported in roughly the low- to mid-20s percentage in recent years, often around 20–25%. Therefore describing it as about 20% is consistent with common global statistics, making this statement likely true.

Option c: 'Iodine deficiency is very uncommon because of widespread iodised salt use.' This statement asserts that iodine deficiency is rare due to iodised salt programs. In reality, iodine deficiency remains a public health issue in many regions despite iodisation efforts, and the degree of coverage and effectiveness varies by country and population group. Thus, this statement is not accurate and is the false one in many global assessments.

Option d: 'Almost 80 million young children suffer from some degree of vitamin A deficiency'. Vitamin A deficiency affects a substantial but smaller number of children when measured at the population level using biochemical indicators or clinical signs. While there are affected populations, 80 million is a large figure and could reflect high estimates in certain years or broad definitions; however, global reports have sometimes cited tens of millions rather than as high as 80 million. This option is contentious and can be debated, but it is often presented as a high-burden estimate in some overviews.

In sum, the option that most clearly contradicts established global patterns by attributing near-universal success of iodine programs is option c. The other statements align with known ranges or are within plausible global estimates, whereas c simplifies the situation too much by claiming iodine deficiency is very uncommon worldwide due to iodised salt use, which is not uniformly true across all regions and populations.

Which statement about malnutrition is false?

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