Florentino R F, Pedro R A
Food and Nutrition Research Institute-DOST, Manila, Philippines.
Proc Nutr Soc. 1992 May;51(1):93-104. doi: 10.1079/pns19920014.
While most Third World countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America, have experienced a deterioration in child welfare as a result of the severe economic downturn in the 1980s, Southeast Asia in general managed to sustain improvements in the situation of its children because it has maintained satisfactory rates of economic growth. However, there were exceptions within Southeast Asia. The Philippines, Vietnam, Dem. Kampuchea and Laos had unsatisfactory growth rates and, consequently, unsustained nutritional gains from the 1970s through the 1980s. Economic factors exerted a big impact on the Philippine nutrition situation, particularly on the dietary status of the households and the nutritional status of children. As a result of the economic dislocation occurring in the country, the nutritional gains of 1978-82 were not maintained in succeeding years. Unlike the case of Thailand, it has been estimated that the solution to nutritional problems in the Philippines is far from being achieved in the immediate future (Villavieja et al. 1989). On the other hand, the nutrition improvements in Thailand have been as remarkable as the economic growth over the last decade. Long-term investments in health, nutrition and other social services in Thailand (as well as in Indonesia) have paid off according to the assessment by the United Nations (1990). It appears, therefore, that the nutrition situation in developing countries is highly dependent on the economic situation, globally and nationally (Cornia et al. 1987), as well as on investment in social services. Adjustment policies should, therefore, consider their implications on distribution and poverty in order that they could positively contribute to the improvement of the nutrition of the people.
尽管大多数第三世界国家，特别是非洲和拉丁美洲的国家，由于20世纪80年代严重的经济衰退，儿童福利状况恶化，但东南亚总体上设法维持了儿童状况的改善，因为该地区保持了令人满意的经济增长率。然而，东南亚也有例外。菲律宾、越南、民主柬埔寨和老挝的经济增长率不尽人意，因此，从20世纪70年代到80年代，营养改善情况未能持续。经济因素对菲律宾的营养状况产生了重大影响，特别是对家庭的饮食状况和儿童的营养状况。由于该国发生经济混乱，1978 - 1982年取得的营养改善成果在随后几年未能保持。据估计，与泰国不同，菲律宾营养问题的解决在近期内远未实现（Villavieja等人，1989年）。另一方面，泰国的营养改善与过去十年的经济增长一样显著。根据联合国（1990年）的评估，泰国（以及印度尼西亚）在健康、营养和其他社会服务方面的长期投资取得了成效。因此，发展中国家的营养状况似乎在全球和国家层面上高度依赖经济状况，以及对社会服务的投资。因此，调整政策应考虑其对分配和贫困的影响，以便能够对改善人民营养状况做出积极贡献。
