Colombo, Sha'ban 1, 1435, May 30, 2014, SPA -- UN Children's agency UNICEF warned that Sri Lanka faces severe nutritional challenges with large numbers of children and women affected by Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), the agency said in a statement on Friday. UNICEF has estimated 1 in 3 children and 1 in 4 adults in Sri Lanka suffer from iron deficiency anemia, making it the most critical micronutrient-related deficiency in the country of 20 million people, Xinhua reported. According to the UNICEF, anemia, mainly due to iron deficiency, affects 40 percent of pre-school children and 1 in 2 pregnant women in developing countries. Infants born of mothers with anemia often have low birth weight, and face a higher risk of dying in infancy and childhood. Premature births, delayed growth and development, delayed normal infant activity and movement are also associated with IDA, the UNICEF notes. Sri Lanka's Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena acknowledges Iron Deficiency Anemia is a public health problem. "Prevention and treatment of iron deficiency can raise national productivity by 20 percent," he noted. --SPA 14:58 LOCAL TIME 11:58 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w