Children of poor families may live in unsanitary conditions and be forced to work long hours at menial jobs. When they suffer from infections, marginal undernourishment can turn into acute malnutrition. The elderly suffer when the extended family system breaks down and social support is inadequate or unavailable. Women , because of their low status in some societies, may receive less food than men from early childhood through their adult life. Many work longer hours than men and their strength may be sapped by frequent pregnancies.
Anaemia is common among women.
And malnourishment increases the likelihood that the babies they bear will have low birth weights and die in infancy. Refugees and displaced people, victims of political upheavals or natural disasters, depend mainly on the availability of emergency food aid.