The Truth is You are Not the Only Person Concerned About Child Malnutrition
By: Nafisa Khan
Imagine opening your refrigerator and not being able to pull out a snack. Think about mornings when you do not eat breakfast and your stomach growls until lunch. What if you felt that hunger everyday? Well, this is reality for 900 million individuals across the world today.
Do you truly know what child malnutrition is?
Do you truly know what child malnutrition is?
Child malnutrition is defined as undernutrition or overnutrition in children. But, it usually refers to undernutrition, meaning an individual’s diet includes nutrients that are not good enough or are too much that it causes health problems. It has been linked to poor mental development, school achievement and behavioral abnormalities. According to the Global Health Observatory data in 2018, there were about 149 million children under the age of 5 stunted, 49 million wasted and 40 million overweight.
Who is affected by child malnutrition?
Who is affected by child malnutrition?
Child malnutrition is a global issue. The 2018 Global Nutrition Report states that the burden of malnutrition is unacceptably high and affects every country in the world, especially those living in poor, rural areas. Many of these people live in villages in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. There is progress still being made in reducing child malnutrition. The rate of child undernutrition has declined significantly since the past 25 years.
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh receiving food
Source: CreativeCommons
The Effects of Child Malnutrition
The Effects of Child Malnutrition
Undernutrition puts children at a higher risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery. It is a cause of mental retardation and brain damage in some children. The long-term effects of malnutrition in children include stunting, marasmus, and kwashiorkor.
Miranto and Sitraka were born on the same day in the same town of Madagascar, but their lives are completely different from each other.
Source: American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, 1,000 Days, USAID by The Huffington Post
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chronic-malnutrition-madagascar-stunting_n_5772b07fe4b0f168323b1eb0
Stunting
Stunting
Stunting is when a child does not have the ability to grow normally. When stunted children are compared to healthy children their age, they are below the average height and weight. If the child is chronically malnourished, he or she may never reach the normal height or body weight. These effects may be permanent.
9-year-old with severe marasmus weighing less than 18 pounds
Source: michael_haninger
Marasmus
Marasmus
The human body requires protein and calories, and overall general nutrients to function. Marasmus is a lack of nearly all nutrients, specifically protein and calories. It leads to severe hair and weight loss, thin and papery skin, a pinched facial expression and apathy.
Symptoms of Kwashiorkor include a swollen abdomen, muscle wasting, change in skin pigmentation, and change in hair (texture or color).
Source: knowyourdoctor
Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor is most common in children whose diets are low in protein and calories. It may be caused due to having limited food resources. Similar to marasmus, kwashiorkor can be treated by increasing calorie intake, or taking multivitamin supplements and prescribed medications to improve appetite.
Here are a couple of reasons to care about reducing hunger worldwide:
Here are a couple of reasons to care about reducing hunger worldwide:
About one in three people suffer from malnutrition.
There was a decrease of undernourished people from 15% in 2000-2002 to 11% in 2014-2016.
This shows that our actions make a difference in people’s lives around the world.
You can help fight hunger by staying informed, donating to agencies and humanitarian partners, and using your voice to let people surrounding you know about this epidemic that millions of people are facing today.
Find out more information about mother, infant, and young child nutrition and malnutrition in the website below.
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