Effects of Malnutrition and Ways to Prevent It !

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO MALNUTRITION:

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.
The cellular imbalance between supply of nutrients and the body’s demand for them to ensure growth, maintenance, and specific functions
‘Under nutrition’ includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (lack of important vitamins and minerals).
Over nutrition includes overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer).

Common Nutritional Deficiencies in Children:

Nutrition plays a vital role in the physical and mental development of a human body. In lack of proper nutrients causes nutritional deficiencies and the common nutritional deficiencies among children are:

1. Iron deficiency:

Insufficient amount of iron develops anemia, which can lead to lethargy and improper cognitive functioning among children.

2. Vitamin A Deficiency:

Vitamin A deficiency is the lack of vitamin A in blood and tissues.
Vitamin A can be found in two forms; retinol and beta carotene.
A has its role on epithelial defense and immune system.
Vitamin A deficiency can result from inadequate intake, fat malabsorption, or liver disorders.
Vitamin A deficiency is associated with causing night blindness, xerophthalmia and other eye disorders.
It is also related with global child mortality from measles, diarrhea and malaria.
Vitamin A Deficiency also impairs immunity and hematopoiesis and causes rashes and typical ocular effects (eg, xerophthalmia, night blindness).

3. Vitamin D deficiency:

Adequate intake of vitamin D is necessary for optimal bone growth.
In lack of Vitamin D, it is responsible for hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia (responsible for rickets) and childhood osteomalacia (essentially the softening of bones).

4. Zinc Deficiency:

Zinc is a mineral essential to childhood growth, digestion, sex hormone development, and strong immunity.
A deficiency can negatively affect hair, skin, and nails to cognitive functioning and the height of the children.

5. Calcium Deficiency:

Calcium deficiency is widely understood as the culprit for a child’s poor development of strong teeth and bones.
However, calcium intake also affects muscle functioning, heart regulation, blood clotting, enzyme functioning, and the transmission of nervous system messages through the body.

6. Protein- Energy Malnutrition (PEM):

PEM causes a group of disorders that include marasmus, kwashiorkor and intermediate states of marasmus- kwashiorkor among children.

7. Iodine Deficiency:

It is the lack of the trace element iodine, an essential nutrient in the diet.
Iodine deficiency may result in metabolic problems such as goiter, sometimes as an endemic goiter as well as cretinism due to untreated congenital hypothyroidism, which results in developmental delays and other health problems.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF MALNUTRITION:

EFFECTS OF UNDERNUTRITION	EFFECTS OF OVERNUTRITION
Loss of body weight	Obesity
Retardation of physical body growth	Diabetes
Mental retardation in children	Hypertension
Decreased immunity	Cardiovascular diseases
Susceptibility to infections	Renal diseases
Respiratory failures	Disorders of liver and gall bladder
Depression	Depression
Anaemia
Xeropthalmia
Beri-Beri

Some other additional effects of malnutrition:

Maternal under nutrition, common in many developing countries, leads to poor foetal development and higher risk of pregnancy complications
High rate of physical and mental lagging.
Growth in chronic more hidden diseases.
Life threatening diseases etc.

MITIGATION AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES:

1. PRIMARY PREVENTION:

Health promotion

Proper provision of balance diet and other supplement for pregnant, lactating mother and children
Promotion of breast feeding
Home economics
Nutrition education
Family planning and spacing of births

Specific protection

Immunization
Food fortification

2. SECONDARY PREVENTION:

EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Growth monitoring of children
Early diagnosis and treatment of infection and diarrhoea
Periodic Deworming
Provision of rehydration of children with diarrhoea and supplementary feeding
Periodic surveillance

3. TERTIARY PREVENTION:

Nutritional rehabilitation services
Hospital treatment
Follow-up care

Moreover, other strategies could be:

For undernutrition	For overnutrition
Use of modern agricultural techniques to increase agricultural production	Increment in primordial prevention methods
Proper education to people regarding importance of food	Consumption of carbohydrate less food
Enrichment in food	Policies associated with ban on cholesterol high food
Food fortification	Nutrition counselling
Availability of staple foods at affordable rates