Stunting and Underweight

Malnutrition is a problem that is estimated to contribute to more than one third of death among children (WHO, 2014). Under nutrition is a form of malnutrition; it occurs when nutritional reserves are exhausted or nutritional intake is insufficient to satisfy daily needs or increased metabolic demands (Jarvis, 2013, p. 175). Prolonged periods in this state can lead to stunted growth which is associated with lower

Things happened during these critical periods can create long lasting or irreversible impacts to a person’s health. For an instance, breastfeeding has plentiful benefits during infancy and childhood, and children who are exclusively breastfed are less vulnerable for obesity compared to formula-fed children (Musingarimi, 2008). World Health Organization (WHO) identifies that diets in early life is one if the deciding factors for the development of adulthood diseases (WHO, 2013).

Children in need of these nutrients can suffer from stunted growth never reaching potential height. Statistics have shown stunted growth children score significantly lower on intelligence tests than do normal children. Hunger interferes with physical, emotional and academic development. According to Freedom from Hunger, “more than 4 million children will die due to hunger related causes.” NASW(2016) shows an important connection food security and nutrition play in physical and mental health.

David and Messer (2011) reported on a study by the National Institutes of Health that revealed the rate of infant mortality among African American women living within walking distance of the Capitol was 23.9 per 1,000 live births in 1989 1991 slightly worse than rates during the same time period in Panama and Sri Lanka. Access to prenatal care, the norm for the middle and upper classes, was lacking for this group. Family support, a non-medical factor, was also shown to be generally lacking for the lowest socioeconomic group. Studies have shown that there is a higher rate of obesity among the lower socioeconomic classes (Kanaya, Santoyo-Olsosson, Gregorich, Grossman, Moore, and Stewart, 2012).. Obesity can lead to debilitating or even deadly conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Overweight children with poor eating habits are likely to grow into overweight adults with poor eating habits; without education, they do not know how to make positive changes. In addition to the often higher costs of healthier food choices, it also costs money to join a gym or even play school

The first part of the analysis will examine a complex connection between physical developments of children and living circumstance, individual’s behavior, income levels, education levels of parents and access to healthcare. AS (2012) illustrates that children living in the most deprived areas take higher risks of low birth weight, respiratory problems, poor dental health and overweight than their wealthy peers.

Although laws have been implemented to fight this disease, new legislations are still been negotiated with different ways of trying to rectify the issue. Despite these rules and regulations, childhood obesity continues to plague the society. According to Hajian-Tilaki et al. (2011), the current approach in determining the presence of obesity is the body mass index (BMI). The BMI is calculated by using the height and weight to determine if an individual is overweight or obese. In the case of a child, an age and weight specific BMI is used to determine their weight status. This is required because children’s body composition varies as they get older and it also varies between boys and girls. A child with a BMI at or over the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile for a child of the same age and sex is considered overweight. If the child has a BMI that is over the 95th percentile for a child within the same category is considered obese (Hajian-Tilaki et al., 2011). The authors also stated that males were more at risk than female in developing childhood obesity in the region of Babol. Furthermore, Hajian-Tilaki et al. mentioned a few contributing dynamics that may lead to obesity, such as genetic and metabolic factors, lack of physical activities, unhealthy eating habits, and socioeconomic standards. With all said and done, the goal of eradicating childhood obesity is still been

A balanced nutrition for the first 3 years of a child’s life is extremely important to stabilize their mental and physical health in the future. Starvation is a common problem with poor families. It currently affects 49.1 million families in the United States. Undernutrition is the start to many diseases such as measles and malaria. If the children get these diseases, it is very likely that they don’t have health insurance to cover their illnesses and injuries. 15.8 million children have families who are not consistently stable to feed them. Food pantries are crowded and jam packed with people, that they don’t have enough food for all. The majority of canned foods and other donations are donated during Christmas or Thanksgiving when the food pantries need it the most. Nobody realizes that they need food all throughout the year. Food is the main component to fuel the body to grow and move. Poverty doesn’t just hurt a child physically through starvation, moreover mentally through learning

It was recommended that infants be breastfed exclusively for at least 6 months as this reduces the risk for obesity, furthermore, there is evidence that shows that for every month of breastfeeding, the child’s risk of becoming overweight reduces by 4 per cent. In similar studies, it is recommended that introduction to solid foods be delayed until at least 4 months, however, 6 months is preferred, this significantly reduces the risk for obesity. The average age of introduction to solid food was 20.49 weeks, which resulted in a healthy BMI at aged 10 years-old, and 18.67 weeks resulted in a higher BMI at aged 10 years-old. ‘A good start in early life means supporting mothers and young children: the health impact of early development and education lasts a lifetime’ (Wilkinson & Marmot 2003, p. 14).

This also presents the needs of the children. Lack of nutrition in early childhood places children at high risk of developing obesity when food and physical activity arrangements concur. Many countries now face the strain of hunger in all its categories, with rising rates of childhood obesity as well as high rates of child nutrition. Childhood obesity is often secluded as a public health issue in these ambient times, where culturally, an overweight child is considered to be healthy. In high-income countries, the risks of childhood obesity are considerable in low socioeconomic groups. Although presently the results show to be true in low and middle income countries, a changing pattern is emerging. In large scale countries, certain population subgroups, such as migrant and indigenous children, are at exceptionally high

The rise of childhood obesity in America [1] has affected over 12 million children. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, one of the many risk factors in obesity is ethnicity, with Hispanics having the second highest prevalence rates. Another factor is low socioeconomic status [2]. The prevention of diabetes, even in childhood, can be promoted when the mother is pregnant. Health promotion and education, by programs such Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children has improved anthropometrics results. The program recorded that weight-for-length measurements in infants (3-23 months) decreased from 14.5% to 12.3% from 2010 - 2014.

The aim of the study Exclusively Breastfed Overweight Infants are at the Same Risk of Childhood Overweight as Formula Fed Overweight Infants, is to evaluate the relationship between feeding types in infancy of overweight infants and the risks of becoming overweight in childhood. Vrijkotte, Altenburg, and Gademan, intended to clarify whether we should be concerned about overweight infants who are exclusively breastfed and whether they encounter the same risks of becoming overweight in childhood as overweight infants who are formula fed.

A large problem of childhood poverty is malnutrition. Since these children are growing up in poverty, many of the parents have a hard time supplying food for their kids. Surprisingly, there

An increase in poverty contributes to the lack of nutritional care within low birth weight children.

Malnutrition is a serious health concern for people that are residing in Haiti, especially the children. Malnutrition has a serious effect on the body, “children [that] suffer from acute malnutrition are at a great risk for severe morbidity and mortality” (Roller, Gray, Previl, Forrest, 2014, p. 1094). There is no reason for these children to be suffering from malnutrition when there is such a simple solution to fix malnutrition. According to UNICEF the percent of children that are underweight and is considered moderate to severe is 11.4

Many children are currently suffering from obesity all around the world (Zuraikat 2010). Often times if parents don’t have a good nutritional balance then their children will become obese as well. Adults might not care what others think of them, but most likely their children will be bullied in school. There is a lot of discrimination around the world till this day towards obese people (Zuraikat 2010). Believe it or not if two people go apply for the same job position often times the one that looks physically better will get the job. For this reason, it is significantly important to maintain a well-balanced nutritional diet starting at a young age. There are times when children are consuming high portions of fat