Moscow
More than half of Russian children are in poor health, a government survey revealed. The most common conditions found in the Health Ministry survey of 30 million kids were problems of the digestive and motor systems, likely caused by poor nutrition. Many of the children also had behavioral problems or anxiety disorders. The problems start before birth, since most Russian women are undernourished during pregnancy, and two-thirds of infants are born small or sickly. Russia routinely has trouble fulfilling draft quotas for the army, because half of the 18-year-olds who report for conscription don’t meet the minimum health standards.
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