More Kids are Living in Poverty in KL!

More children from low-income families in Kuala Lumpur have fewer than three meals a day. Families have had to cut back on spending due to rising food costs and the escalating cost of living.

Financial constraints have forced nearly 40 per cent of breadwinners in households to work longer hours and cut back on food consumption and spending on non-food items. This is according to an UN-backed study involving 755 low-income households in Kuala Lumpur. About 52 per cent of the children surveyed ate fewer than three meals a day, compared with 45 per cent before the Covid-19 pandemic. This nutritional deficit extends to children in female-headed households and those in households led by people with disabilities, highlighting the universality of the challenge.

Source: https://simple.wikipedia.org

The UN study aimed to find out how families whose median incomes are near RM3,000 per month are coping with the rise in food prices and other living costs since the pandemic. The households have been part of a series of earlier studies in May 2020, September 2020, December 2020 and March 2021, which tracked the impact of the pandemic and its lockdowns on low-income families. Eight out of 10 households said they are struggling to earn enough to meet their daily needs, up from the pandemic era when seven out of 10 reported experiencing this hardship. 

Ninety per cent of households said they were affected by the rise in the cost of living, especially in food prices, with about 50 per cent saying that they are financially worse off than in 2022. Six in 10 households, including those headed by women and people with disabilities, cited high prices as a major obstacle hindering their ability to provide nutritious meals to their children. Two in 10 respondents cited time constraints and the affordability of fast food as further obstacles for families in giving nutritious meals to their children.

Approximately seven in 10 households now report spending more on eggs – the most affordable protein source – compared with 52 per cent during the pandemic. Seven in 10 households also indicated increased spending on rice, compared with the four in 10 during the same period. The consumption of unhealthy food options also rose, with 46 per cent turning to instant noodles, compared with 40 per cent during the pandemic.

The financial pinch has taken a toll on mental health, with three in four households admitting that the rising cost of living had affected them mentally. Depression rates have worsened. The proportion of households reporting feelings of depression increased from 21 per cent in September 2020 to 28 per cent in October 2023. This trend remains consistent for female-headed households, with rates hovering around 28 per cent to 29 per cent during this period, although there was a notable increase from 22 per cent in March 2021.

The report also provided six key suggestions for mitigation measures. These include care allowance for all children from before birth until the age of two, allowance for the disabled, more social aid and increasing awareness of sexual, reproductive and mental health.

PMX can focus on this rather than on his image internationally. The effect of poor nutrition in children will not only impact their physical and mental state but their future as well. The future is poor for them!

Reference:

More kids living in poverty go hungry in KL as food prices soar, The Straits Times, 9 May 2024