Certain Sri Lankan cultural beliefs and practices contribute to child malnourishment, said Professor Harendra de Silva. The latest report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the 'State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World' states that Sri Lanka's prevalence of wasting in children under the age of five years is 21.4 per cent, whilst the prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five years as 14.7 per cent.