Translation of "Insuffisance pondérale à la naissance " (French → English) :

While 46. 1% of those aged 18 or over living in the European Union (EU) had a normal weight in 2014, slightly more than half of the adults (51.6%) were considered as over-weight (35.7% pre-obese and 15.9% obese) and a further 2.3% as under-weight.

Furthermore, children of adolescents are often born underweight and experience health and developmental problems.

L. whereas malnutrition kills an estimated 2.6 million children each year and, if unchecked, will put almost half a billion children at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years; whereas about one-third of the pre-school age children in the world currently suffer from underweight (too little weight for their age) or stunting (too short for their age); whereas malnutrition costs countries 2-4 % of their GDP, and costs an individual an estimated 11 % of his or her lifetime earnings, while, at the same time, tested, cost-effective interventions in nutrition exist and would represent a sound investment;

L. whereas malnutrition kills an estimated 2.6 million children each year and, if unchecked, will put almost half a billion children at risk of permanent damage in the next 15 years; whereas about one-third of the pre-school age children in the world currently suffer from underweight (too little weight for their age) or stunting (too short for their age); whereas malnutrition costs countries 2-4 % of their GDP, and costs an individual an estimated 11 % of his or her lifetime earnings, while, at the same time, tested, cost-effective interventions in nutrition exist and would represent a sound investment;

Furthermore, the percentage of underweight babies appears to vary with the geographical location of the country concerned, the number of newborn babies weighing less than 2.5 kilograms being greater in the countries of southern and eastern Europe.

The figures on the extent of the foetal alcohol syndrome, which affects 60 000 people in Europe, to which should be added the figures on underweight births in Europe owing to alcohol consumption, around 60 000 per year, show clearly that there is not enough information on the subject.