Abstract
Hunger continues to threaten communities across the world, and children and adolescents are bearing a triple burden of malnutrition. Too many are malnourished, and too many adolescent girls are affected by iron deficiency anaemia. The persistent burden of malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies) continues to impact children living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In the South Asia Pacific (SAP) region, 30% of five-year-olds are stunted and 14% are wasted (Global Nutrition Report, 2022). Among children and adolescents aged 5-19, the prevalence of thinness is approximately 19.8% in girls and 27.7% in boys. respectively (Global Nutrition Report, 2022). Meanwhile, obesity rates are on the rise, with 7.6% of girls and 8.7% of boys recording a BMI above the average for their age (Global Nutrition Report, 2022).
Frequent climatic events, increased availability of ultra-processed foods, limited access to fresh produce, and the effects of COVID-19, global conflict, and the rising cost of living all contribute to malnutrition in the SAP region (World Bank Group, 2022).
To tackle malnutrition and achieve SDG 2 (zero hunger and improved nutrition) by 2030, World Vision International is striving to reduce food insecurity among children and adolescents.
The ENOUGH campaign aims to tackle child hunger through collective action, engaging directly with children and their communities. At its core is the CHAMP (Child-Led Advocacy and Meaningful Participation) initiative, which empowers young people to lead nutrition research and shape advocacy efforts within their communities.
Fifteen CHAMP youth leaders (aged 13 - 20) from five SAP countries took part in a series of online research capacity-building sessions delivered by the Young and Resilient Research Centre (Y&R) at Western Sydney University. With support from CHAMP mentors, the youth leaders developed their own research projects, collected and analysed data, and crafted their recommendations.
The workshops reached 214 participants across the five countries. Participants were aged 10-18, with roughly two-thirds identifying as female and one-third as male. Ten workshops were held, gathering both quantitative data (surveys) and qualitative data (participatory activities and worksheets).
Children voiced their genuine experiences and insights through activities tailored to each country's research questions and objectives. However, two common activities were used across all workshops one focused on identifying barriers and enablers to nutritious eating, the other exploring participant's views of ideal nutrition and food security. These were analysed by the Y&R research team to surface some regional key findings.
In the South Asia Pacific (SAP) region, 30% of five-year-olds are stunted and 14% are wasted (Global Nutrition Report, 2022). Among children and adolescents aged 5-19, the prevalence of thinness is approximately 19.8% in girls and 27.7% in boys. respectively (Global Nutrition Report, 2022). Meanwhile, obesity rates are on the rise, with 7.6% of girls and 8.7% of boys recording a BMI above the average for their age (Global Nutrition Report, 2022).
Frequent climatic events, increased availability of ultra-processed foods, limited access to fresh produce, and the effects of COVID-19, global conflict, and the rising cost of living all contribute to malnutrition in the SAP region (World Bank Group, 2022).
To tackle malnutrition and achieve SDG 2 (zero hunger and improved nutrition) by 2030, World Vision International is striving to reduce food insecurity among children and adolescents.
The ENOUGH campaign aims to tackle child hunger through collective action, engaging directly with children and their communities. At its core is the CHAMP (Child-Led Advocacy and Meaningful Participation) initiative, which empowers young people to lead nutrition research and shape advocacy efforts within their communities.
Fifteen CHAMP youth leaders (aged 13 - 20) from five SAP countries took part in a series of online research capacity-building sessions delivered by the Young and Resilient Research Centre (Y&R) at Western Sydney University. With support from CHAMP mentors, the youth leaders developed their own research projects, collected and analysed data, and crafted their recommendations.
The workshops reached 214 participants across the five countries. Participants were aged 10-18, with roughly two-thirds identifying as female and one-third as male. Ten workshops were held, gathering both quantitative data (surveys) and qualitative data (participatory activities and worksheets).
Children voiced their genuine experiences and insights through activities tailored to each country's research questions and objectives. However, two common activities were used across all workshops one focused on identifying barriers and enablers to nutritious eating, the other exploring participant's views of ideal nutrition and food security. These were analysed by the Y&R research team to surface some regional key findings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Penrith, N.S.W. |
| Publisher | Western Sydney University |
| Commissioning body | World Vision International |
| Number of pages | 48 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
