Understanding What Are the Causes of Malnutrition in Emergencies?

November 1, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the World Health Organization, undernutrition is a factor in more than half of child deaths from pneumonia, malaria, and measles globally. In crisis situations, the factors contributing to poor nutrition are complex and interconnected, making the question of what are the causes of malnutrition in emergencies? critical for effective humanitarian response. This article explores the root causes, from immediate physiological stressors to deep-seated systemic issues.

Quick Summary

This article details the complex, multi-layered causes of malnutrition during crises, outlining immediate factors like dietary inadequacy and disease, underlying conditions such as food insecurity and poor sanitation, and basic causes including conflict, political instability, and poverty. It also highlights the specific vulnerabilities of certain population groups.

Key Points

Inadequate Dietary Intake: A primary cause of malnutrition in emergencies is a sudden reduction in food quantity and quality due to disrupted supply chains and food scarcity.
Disease and Infection: In the aftermath of a crisis, poor sanitation and overcrowding fuel the spread of infections like diarrhea, which worsen malnutrition by impairing nutrient absorption.
Household Food Insecurity: Displaced populations often lose their livelihoods and access to food production, leading to severe food insecurity.
Vulnerable Populations: Infants, children under five, pregnant women, and the elderly are disproportionately affected by malnutrition due to their higher nutritional needs and increased susceptibility.
Collapse of Infrastructure: Damage to critical infrastructure, including food storage, transportation, and health systems, severely hinders effective relief efforts and access to care.
Socio-political and Economic Factors: Underlying issues like poverty, conflict, and political instability create the foundational vulnerabilities that make a population prone to malnutrition during emergencies.

The Immediate Physiological Drivers of Malnutrition

At the most direct level, malnutrition in an emergency is caused by a physiological imbalance in an individual, as described by the UNICEF conceptual framework. The two primary immediate causes are inadequate dietary intake and disease. In a humanitarian crisis, these factors form a dangerous feedback loop.

Inadequate Dietary Intake: A sudden lack of access to sufficient food, or a diet lacking in diversity, can quickly lead to acute malnutrition. The average daily calorie intake can plummet, leaving individuals significantly below the necessary threshold to maintain health and immune function. Beyond calories, micronutrient deficiencies, such as a lack of vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and vitamin A, are common and can severely impact health.
Infection and Disease: In emergencies, the risk of disease outbreaks increases dramatically due to factors like overcrowding in temporary settlements, a lack of safe water, and poor sanitation. Diseases like diarrhea, measles, and respiratory infections directly contribute to malnutrition by reducing appetite, hindering the absorption of nutrients, and increasing the body's nutrient requirements. For children, this creates a vicious cycle where malnutrition weakens the immune system, making them more susceptible to infections, which in turn worsens their nutritional status.

The Underlying Factors Fueling the Crisis

The immediate causes of malnutrition are symptoms of deeper, underlying systemic problems that are exacerbated during an emergency.

Household Food Insecurity: This is a direct consequence of a disaster or conflict. A humanitarian event can destroy harvests, kill livestock, and disrupt entire food supply chains, making food both scarce and expensive. Displaced populations lose their livelihoods and ability to grow or purchase food. As a result, families may resort to less nutritious, cheaper, energy-dense foods, or consume a less diverse diet, leading to deficiencies.
Inadequate Care and Feeding Practices: In the chaos of an emergency, normal care practices for infants and young children are often disrupted. Displaced mothers may face immense psychological stress, hindering their ability to breastfeed effectively. The availability of clean water for preparing infant formula is often compromised, leading to unsafe feeding practices that increase the risk of deadly infections.
Access to Healthcare and a Healthy Environment: When health systems collapse, access to basic medical services, vaccinations, and nutrition-specific support is severely limited. At the same time, damage to water and sanitation infrastructure, combined with overcrowding in camps, creates a perfect storm for the spread of disease. Poor hygiene and sanitation are key drivers of infections that trigger and worsen malnutrition.

The Basic Systemic Causes of Emergency Malnutrition

These are the deepest, most fundamental causes that make a population vulnerable to malnutrition long before a crisis hits, and which are magnified during the event.

Economic, Political, and Environmental Instability: These are the basic causes that create the conditions for underlying and immediate problems. Chronic poverty, weak governance, and political conflict destabilize societies, making them far more susceptible to shocks. A population already struggling with poverty is more likely to have poor nutritional status, limited resources, and inadequate infrastructure when an emergency occurs.
Natural Disasters and Climate Change: Extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves, are major causes of food insecurity. They destroy agricultural land, disrupt food production, and force mass displacement. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of these events, posing an even greater threat to global food security.

Vulnerable Groups: The Specific Risks

While emergencies impact all populations, certain groups are disproportionately affected by malnutrition due to their unique physiological needs and social status.

Young Children: Infants and children under five have higher nutritional requirements for growth and development, making them especially vulnerable to inadequate intake and infection. Severe acute malnutrition (wasting) is particularly deadly for this age group.
Pregnant and Lactating Women: Their bodies require more nutrients to support the growing fetus or to produce milk. The stress of an emergency, combined with limited food and healthcare, puts both mother and child at immense risk of poor health outcomes and malnutrition.
The Elderly, Disabled, and Chronically Ill: Reduced mobility, underlying health conditions, and limited access to specific medical care can make it difficult for these individuals to access food and remain healthy in a crisis.

Comparison of Malnutrition Causes in Different Emergency Contexts


Cause	Natural Disaster	Conflict and Displacement	Economic Crisis	Public Health Crisis
Immediate	Sudden loss of food supply, contaminated food/water.	Active denial of food, disrupted supply chains, high disease rates in camps.	Reduced purchasing power, unaffordable nutritious food.	Disruptions to health services, supply chain issues, decreased physical activity.
Underlying	Damaged agricultural systems, inadequate preparedness.	Loss of livelihoods, mass displacement, insecurity.	Poverty, social inequities, lack of access to healthy food.	Exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities, strain on healthcare.
Basic	Environmental and climatic factors.	Political instability, fragile state, violence.	Global market forces, national policy failures.	Pandemic or epidemic, overwhelmed health systems.

Conclusion: A Multi-faceted Approach to a Multi-faceted Problem

The causes of malnutrition in emergencies are not isolated incidents but are part of a complex web of immediate, underlying, and basic factors. A crisis merely amplifies the existing fragilities within a society, from inadequate health systems and sanitation to deep-seated issues of poverty, political instability, and environmental vulnerability. Addressing emergency malnutrition requires a multi-sectoral approach that not only provides immediate therapeutic and supplementary food but also strengthens local health and food systems, invests in disaster preparedness, and tackles the root causes of poverty and conflict. Organizations like UNICEF and WHO advocate for comprehensive interventions, including improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), health service access, and specific support for the most vulnerable groups. Long-term resilience is built by understanding and confronting every layer of this complex issue.

Learn more about integrated approaches to nutrition and development from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

A humanitarian crisis increases a child's risk of malnutrition by causing food shortages, disrupting breastfeeding practices due to maternal stress, and increasing exposure to infections from poor sanitation and overcrowding.

Food insecurity is a major cause, as emergencies can destroy crops, kill livestock, and disrupt supply chains, leading to a scarcity of food and limited access to nutritious diets for affected populations.

Poor sanitation leads to an increase in waterborne diseases like diarrhea. These infections prevent the body from properly absorbing nutrients, creating a vicious cycle of illness and undernourishment.

Yes, infants, young children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable due to their unique nutritional needs and increased susceptibility to infection.

Climate-related disasters, such as droughts and floods, can destroy agricultural systems, leading to crop failures, loss of livestock, and widespread food insecurity that fuels malnutrition.

Effective emergency response should be multi-sectoral, involving not only food aid but also providing safe water, improved sanitation, access to healthcare, and special nutrition programs for vulnerable groups.

The political context is a basic cause, as conflict and political instability can actively disrupt food systems, displace populations, and prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those most in need.