-Nutrition-Malnutrition-
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition is defined as the "process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth."
What is Malnutrition?
Malnutrition is defined as a "condition in which a person does not consume sufficient food or any kind resulting in several illnesses, severe weight loss and possibly death" (Berger, 2016).
Nutrition plays a vital role in the growth and development of young children. It is very important for caregivers to understand why it is critical to provide a well balanced diet to their children in order for them to grow to be healthy in all areas of development. Malnutrition can affect many things such as the brain not to develop typically and it can stunt your growth (Berger, 2016). The 2015- 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people over the age of two follow a well rounded diet that includes the following food groups (CDC, 2019):
Nutrition plays a vital role in the growth and development of young children. It is very important for caregivers to understand why it is critical to provide a well balanced diet to their children in order for them to grow to be healthy in all areas of development. Malnutrition can affect many things such as the brain not to develop typically and it can stunt your growth (Berger, 2016). The 2015- 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people over the age of two follow a well rounded diet that includes the following food groups (CDC, 2019):
- variety of fruits and vegetables
- whole grains
- fat free and low fat dairy products
- variety of protein foods
- oils
I picked this topic because I work with occupational therapists to provide strategies to families who have children that need assistance with feeding and suggestions on how broaden their diet. Some children on my caseload are still on bottles, only eat 1 to 2 things, and are very picky eaters.
Facts about nutrition in Ethiopia:
- 38% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition (USAID, 2019)
- Malnutrition contributes to more than 50% of all infant and child deaths (USAID, 2018).
- The neglect caused by malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of a baby's life to the child's 2nd birthday is generally long lasting due to the negative impact it has on the child’s health and development (USAID, 2018).
Major causes of children's malnutrition in Ethiopia (USAID, 2018):
- food insecurity
- poor maternal and child feeding practices
- high rate of infectious diseases
- limited access to quality nutrition services
- socioeconomic status
- education
- family planning
I found this information to be very beneficial because it important to understand all families cultures in order to best support them and provide resources that will encourage them to provide a well balanced diet for optimum health and development. On the CDC website there is visual that can be very helpful to parents to see what a healthy diet consists of so I wanted to share it with you (CDC, 2019).
( CDC, 2019)
References:
CDC. (2019). Childhood Nutrition Facts. Healthy Schools. CDC. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm
USAID. (2018). Ethiopia Fact Sheet Nutrition: Ethiopia. Retrieved from
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/Ethiopia-Fact-Sheet_Nutrition-for-Health_Oct-2018.pdf
USAID. (2018). Nutrition: Ethiopia. Retrieved from http://www.usaid.gov/ethiopia/nutrition
~ Life of a special educator~
USAID. (2018). Nutrition: Ethiopia. Retrieved from http://www.usaid.gov/ethiopia/nutrition
~ Life of a special educator~
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose this topic. I can tell that you really looked into. I am personally very concerned about the nutrition of my students. I work in a title one school so most of my students are provided with breakfast and lunch by the school system. I love seeing all the healthy options that they are given to choose from. I also like that we have a fruit and veggie program where our students get to try new fruits and vegetables as a snack towards the end of their day. It is good to remember that children are effected by nutrition all over the world. Thank you for covering this topic.
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI love the topic. I also chose this topic. It is extremely important for children to receive the proper nutrition their body needs in order to growth and learn. I always keep snacks in my classroom because many children do not eat enough during the day. Some students depend on coming to school just to get a meal. This is definitely a major problem in the world today.
Jamie, I enjoyed reading your post. I think nutrition is very important. I work for and Early Head Start program and I see how some of the families I work with could benefit form this information. I will definitely be bringing up the importance of nutrition at my next parent meeting. We want to ensure healthy development and if a child is not eating right it affects their brain.
ReplyDeleteJamie,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very insightful, and also very compelling.
Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very insightful, and also very compelling.