Screening communities for micronutrient deficiencies

Hidden hunger, also known as micronutrient deficiencies, is defined as the lack of vitamins and minerals. Hidden hunger results in various health issues, often exhibiting generic symptoms making it difficult to diagnose. Long-term and acute deficiencies can result in severe health issues, such as impairment in growth and increased risks of infectious diseases. Moreover, micronutrient deficiencies may contribute to socioeconomic gaps within populations. The World Health Organization estimated that worldwide 2 billion people - particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia - suffer from hidden hunger. Insufficient data on its occurrence impedes developing proper strategies against it. The bottleneck remains in the accessibility of the current diagnostic tests, such as high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, in countries with insufficient economic and logistical means. This solution focuses on increasing affordable access for testing to more people in more places, minimizing the need for the laboratory-based screenings and eventually helping to reduce national inequalities in malnutrition.