The topic I chose for this week’s blog is malnutrition. Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. This is one of the most important public health measures that impact children’s development all over the world. In any community or service, if healthy nutrition is learned we would have better health for every child and their families. Malnutrition is common in the United States, but is not as bad as in countries likes Africa and South Asia. Malnutrition may lead to severe illnesses, weight loss, or even death. Just having knowledge and distributing these public health practices may save millions of lives each year.
Some symptoms that may be meaning ful to families, teachers and staff, this information may help and impact an infant, child or adult to better health...
Symptoms of malnutrition in children can include:
• Failure to grow at the expected rate, both in terms of weight and height
• changes in behaviour such as appearing unusually irritable, sluggish or anxious
• changes in hair and skin colour
• hair loss
• swelling of the stomach and legs (this last symptom usually only occurs if a child is severely malnourished)
• Vitamin and mineral deficiency
Physical signs that you may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency include:
• skin problems or rashes
• swelling of your tongue
• poor vision at night or in dim light
• you feel out of breath and tired all the time (due to anaemia)
• you experience a constant ringing or buzzing in your ears (tinnitus)
• paleness inside the mouth or eyelids (due to anaemia)
• pain in the bones or joints
In Africa, malnutrition is very common. Their condition in many instances is called wasting. This is where a child is severely underweight as a result to having bad nutrition. 15 percent of the children’s population in Africa lives in households of children hunger. The main reason is not only plundering resources but the knowledge that is not given to these households. Also in Africa, one in ten children suffer from severe malnutrition. 50 percent of these children being in preschool. This not only causes things like illness and diseases, but stunted growth.
This information is going to impact my work now and in the future with my own family and the families I work with. Prevention is better than treatment. With some knowledge we are more likely to protect the ones in our lives and our own.
Resources-
http://www.feedthebabiesfund.org.za/News/FactsInfo/ChildPovertyandMalnutrition/tabid/108/Default.aspx
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malnutrition/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6thed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Chapter 5.
Brittany, thank you for sharing the importance of children rrecieving the appropriate viatamins and minerals in order to stay healthy. It is so saddening to see children have to suffer in such away. I can remember as a child watching specials on television where they would ask for donations to help feed and give clean water to children in Africa. Malnutrion is a very strong epedimic that is common in other coun tries as well as our country. We probably just dont see it as often as we do when we see the children in Africa. I can remember a litle girl who I had in my class years ago. We called her little. She was the tiniest little girl. She did have access to food and clean water but simply would not recieve it. I believe she had failure to thrive. Little one was prescribed by her doctor to drink pediasure 3 times a day with each of her meals. It was like pulling teeth just to gether to eat. Shje was severerly under weight. Nutrition is so important. Just as you stated in your post, lacj of nitrition can be harmful to ones life. Little may have suffered from other conditions due to her lack of eating. She was a very fussy baby. The teachers could never comfort her and she would cry most of the day. Thanks for sharing!!
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