KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Despite Malaysia's gross domestic product per capita being six times higher than Ghana, the 20.7% level of stunting among Malaysian children is higher than Ghana's at 18.8%.

The situation is even more alarming when data is broken down by state. More children in Kelantan are stunted (34%) compared to those in low income countries such as Zimbabwe (27.6%) and Swaziland (25.5%), according to a new report by Unicef Malaysia and DM Analytics, launched today.

"Even in the richest district in Malaysia, Putrajaya, 24% of children are stunted, higher than the national average," highlights the report entitled Children Without: A study of urban child poverty and deprivation in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur.

Worryingly, the rate of stunting among underprivileged children in Kuala Lumpur of 22% is even higher than the national average of 20.7% in 2016, which is a concern in itself as it has risen from 17% in 2006.

On top of that, many children living in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur are stunted, or shorter than the average of their peers in the city, showed the study.

Incidents of stunting are notably higher among older children aged four versus aged two, which is once they have been weaned off breast milk and are fed solid food, said Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid, chief economist and lead researcher at DM Analytics.

The study, which collected data on 2,142 children living in low-costs flats across Kuala Lumpur, showed that 23% of children aged four are stunted, with 22% underweight and 32% wasting, or thinner than the average of their peers.

On top of that, the problems may have begun even before birth, as 30.8% of pregnant women are found to be anaemic, according to the 2016 National Health and Morbidity Survey.

Muhammed pointed out that by World Health Organisation standards, a rate of over 30% is considered a 'public health concern'.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the report's launch, he added that high prices of dairy products contributed to making nutritious food unaffordable and therefore inaccessible to lower income groups.