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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

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More or Less: Does a Child Die From Hunger Every 15 Seconds?

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16/06/2013

Does a Child Die From Hunger Every 15 Seconds?

BBC World Service - More or Less, Does a Child Die From Hunger Every 15 Seconds?

It is a popular statistic used by celebrities and charity campaigners but is it true?

It is a popular statistic used by celebrities and charity campaigners but does the claim that a child dies every 15 seconds stand up?

More or Less examines the claim that every 15 seconds a child dies of hunger. It is a popular statistic used by celebrities and charity campaigners in support of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign. It conjures up the image of millions of young children starving to death. But is this really the case?

According to the experts behind these figures, the answer is no. The real problem is undernutrition, which leaves children more susceptible to infectious diseases. And, many of the children who are under-nourished are not going to bed hungry at night - they have enough food, just not the right kinds of food. Ruth Alexander takes a detailed look at the problem of child malnutrition - which countries are worst affected, and what is being done to try to ease the problem. She is joined by Jack Lundie, If campaign; Professor Robert Black, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Jane Howard from the UN World Food Programme.

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