Child Malnutrition during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Malnutrition is a worldwide health concern. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, low income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) faced severe challenges in ensuring that all children had access to adequate nutrition. The situation worsened during the pandemic. The Global Burden of Disease Study classifies malnutrition based on four variables: mortality rates based on child growth failure, years lived with disability based on iron status, vitamin A deficiencies, and high body mass index (BMI) [1]. Globally, 15% of children were estimated to be malnourished due to the pandemic. Malnutrition can also increase the risk of being infected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [2]. Children with a history of malnutrition had high odds of severe COVID-19 and were even higher in the adult group (log-odds and 95% confidence interval: 0.094 [0.012, 0.175]) and (−0.014 [−0.021, −0.006]) in children aged 6–17 years and adults, respectively [3]