According to a Wednesday report by United Nations' children's foundation UNICEF, insufficient nutrition during early childhood years is the leading cause of health problems and stunted growth in almost 200 million children in developing countries.

The report, coming prior to a three-day international summit on the problem of world hunger, elaborated that stunted growth in these children, most of them below 5 years of age, had resulted from lack of proper nutrition during the critical period - from conception to two years.

Saying that undernourished children often have poor physical health and slower mental development, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said: "Under-nutrition steals a child's strength and makes illnesses that the body might otherwise fight off far more dangerous."

Nonetheless, the UNICEF report also noted that the problem of insufficient nutrition was on the decline in most countries; and specified that, in Asia, the percentage of children with stunted growth had fallen from 44 percent in 1990 to 30 percent in 2008; and, during the same period, the percentage had come down to 34 percent from 38 percent in Africa.

As per the statistics forwarded, the prevalence of stunted growth among under-5 children was the highest in Afghanistan, with 59 percent; followed by 58 percent in Yemen; 54 percent in Guatemala as well as East Timor; 46 percent in Democratic Republic of the Congo; 45 percent in North Korea; 43 percent in India.