Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
Advanced - Vocabulary
the ARTICLE (for teachers)
Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
How important is getting the right kind of food? According to a World Bank report, it's very important, perhaps
more important than previously assumed.
The report warns that young children who don't eat enough food, or more specifically, children who don't eat
enough of the right kind of food, suffer lasting damage. At aged two and under, the children are underweight and
underdeveloped. They are more susceptible to disease, and may also suffer from health problems later in life.
They generally have lower intelligence levels. This leads to malnourished children who, as they get older, are
more likely to drop out of school and earn less money as adults. In some drought affected regions of Africa, for
example, the number of hungry children hovers as high as 30%. But India, Southeast Asia, and parts of South
America face similar problems.
Although the news proves alarming on a humanitarian level alone, there are economic implications, too.
Combating malnutrition absorbs as much as 3% of a developing country's annual GDP, the same report
indicates. When you take into account an annual growth rate of two or three percent for many of these countries,
reducing the number of malnourished could then help double their economic growth. Yet many developing
countries and international aid organizations are failing to take effective action.
Rather than simply provide more food, the World Bank report suggests establishing educational programs in
health and nutrition for mothers with young babies. It also recommends more sanitary living conditions and
improvements in health care.
Teacher's Notes:
* Underlined words in red typeface are the answers.
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Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
Advanced - Vocabulary
the Article (for students)
Fill in the blank with the correct word.
susceptible
implications
educational
lasting
nutrition
underdeveloped
drought
indicates
GDP
effective
suffer
malnourished
underweight
humanitarian
sanitary
Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
How important is getting the right kind of food? According to a World Bank report, it's very important,
perhaps more important than previously assumed.
The report warns that young children who don't eat enough food, or more specifically, children who don't
eat enough of the right kind of food, (a. _______________) (b. _______________) damage. At aged two
and under, the children are (c. _______________) and (d. _______________). They are more
(e. _______________) to disease, and may also suffer from health problems later in life. They generally
have lower intelligence levels. This leads to (f. _______________) children who, as they get older, are
more likely to drop out of school and earn less money as adults. In some (g. _______________) affected
regions of Africa, for example, the number of hungry children hovers as high as 30%. But India, Southeast
Asia, and parts of South America face similar problems.
Although the news proves alarming on a (h. _______________) level alone, there are economic
(i. _______________), too. Combating malnutrition absorbs as much as 3% of a developing country's
annual (j. _______________), the same report (k. _______________). When you take into account an
annual growth rate of two or three percent for many of these countries, reducing the number of
malnourished could then help double their economic growth. Yet many developing countries and
international aid organizations are failing to take (l. _______________) action.
Rather than simply provide more food, the World Bank report suggests establishing (m. _______________)
programs in health and (n. _______________) for mothers with young babies. It also recommends more
(o. _______________) living conditions and improvements in health care.
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Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP ONE
Define: What does "malnutrition" mean? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you give examples?
STEP TWO
Word Search: Find the target words (in bold) with their exact match. How long did it take to find all the words?
indicates
malnourished
lasting
drought
O
N
H
L
S
Y
P
K
L
U
S
N
P
U
O
nutrition
implications
D
B
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T
K
X
K
V
I
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A
L
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X
I
B
P
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A
N
N
F
S
I
F
X
B
Z
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K
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T
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A
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A
J
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F
H
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A
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Q
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T
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A
I
P
N
B
A
Q
C
B
A
L
U
U
O
L
N
R
I
D
V
S
humanitarian
suffer
H
L
M
R
Q
A
O
A
L
L
U
M
I
H
N
E
U
I
X
I
S
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F
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F
F
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F
sanitary
susceptible
S
N
O
I
T
A
C
I
L
P
M
I
S
X
Y
STEP THREE
Vocabulary Match: Match the words in column A (from the article) with the best choice in column B. Use a
dictionary for any words you don't know, but be sure to check your English-English dictionary, too.
a. suffer
q. at risk
b. lasting
c. susceptible
r.
charitable
s. dry spell
d. malnourished
e. drought
u. long-term
f.
v.
humanitarian
t.
point out
food
g. implication
h. indicate
w. hygienic
i.
nutrition
y.
j.
sanitary
z. connection
x. endure
hungry
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Poor Nutrition in the Developing World
Advanced - Vocabulary
STEP FOUR
The Article: 1) Read the article, but don't worry about the missing words. 2) Fill in the blanks with today's
vocabulary, followed by all the other words. 3) Read the article again, and circle any unknown words/phrases. In
pairs/groups, use your dictionaries to understand the words or phrases your circled. 4) Answer the questions to
check your comprehension.
a. What problem does the World Bank report warn about?
b. What happens if children don’t get the proper nutrition?
c. Where does the report center its attention?
d. What economic benefits are there for properly nourished children?
e. Instead of providing food, what should also be done?
STEP FIVE
Discuss: Write down five vocabulary words from today's article that you want to use.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Now talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Every time you use a vocabulary word, place a check
next to it.
a. Did you like this article?
b. Who should fight malnutrition, the first world with large economies or countries where the problem exists?
c. Could a problem like this happen in your country?
d. If food were developed to provide a quick, cheap, and healthy food supply, would this problem remain?
Score yourself:
10 or more times: Fantastic! Be sure to review the words at home.
6-9 times:
Pretty good! You're on your way to acquiring today's vocabulary. Try writing your own
sentences at home for additional practice.
5 or less times:
Try harder next time! To acquire new vocabulary, you need to use the new words as much
as possible.
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