Introduction:
Human developments are governed by two main factors: genetics and environment. Nutrition is one of the most crucial aspects of the environment. Malnutrition during the fetal development and the childhood can have potentially devastating consequences in the long run. Preventive measures need taken, both in local and national levels, to address this crucial issue.
Summary of the provided article:
Nutrition is one of the most influential non genetic factors in prenatal development. If the mother is exposed to famine during prenatal development, there is a high chance of the child having an increased risk of several types of diseases and disorders. Such association is found to be specific for periconceptional exposure, considering
…show more content…
India is considered as one of such countries where malnutrition is common in one form or the other. First of all, poverty causes parents to not be able to provide kids and themselves with enough food when they are hungry. Secondly, the quality of food they can afford, leaves another perceptual problem that we can refer to as: hidden hunger, or the deficiency of essential nutrients in adequate proportions in the food being consumed. Young children tend to be in a higher risk of chronic diseases, delayed growth and sexual maturation, to name a few, as consequences of chronic malnutrition in childhood and infancy. Similar consequences are faced by the children who are exposed to malnutrition prenatally. The iron deficiency disorder leaving a huge population of all ages suffering from goiter, neurological deficit and cretins, zinc deficiency resulting in impaired immunity leading to infections are two of the most prevalent types of malnutrition observed there in people. This shows that, lack of nutrition has consequences not only through the malnourished mom, but also in children, and adults including non pregnant moms, exposed to malnutrition. (Mishra et al., 2017, p. …show more content…
Proper nutrition is crucial to the growth of brain’s structure, it’s effective functioning, and maturation. Children brains grow much faster than adults, in fact, most of the brain development occurs in early childhood. Proper nutrient supply in the body fuels the effective growth of the brain, including the brain. If an element is missing from the diet, then it is more than likely that there will be an effect on the behavior due to such malnutrition, even though there might possibly be other factors acting on the side too. (Coursin et al., 1972, p.
Active kids who need more calories than the federal limits are also at risk, and may end up feeling weak, fatigued or nauseous during sports and exercise. According to a 2012 article written by registered dietitian Timi Gustafson, not getting enough essential nutrients at meals may lower kids’ IQ scores, memory capacities, fine motor skills, social skills and languages skills into early adulthood and beyond. A child’s poor dietary habits can even influence his sleep patterns, which may have an effect on cognitive behaviors and academic abilities. The results of a research review published in 2004 in the "British Journal of Nutrition," children who are micronutrient-deficient may exhibit more aggressiveness, less mental endurance and lower intelligence test scores. our school lunches are affecting our learning abilities and this is a problem that needs to be resolved
...brain and malnutrition. Therefore, one’s diet is not only crucial for the physical well being but also their mental.
World hunger is a very important epidemic because of the risks or implications it imposes on the rest of the world. Juveniles are the utmost apparent victims of under-nutrition. 2.6 million children die as a result of hunger-related causes each year. 66 million school-aged children go to classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone. One in four of the world's youth are kept from growing due to malnutrition. In developing countries the proportion can rise to one in three. A strong maternal-infant bond provided through psychosocial stimulation is essential for positive child development. The formation of this bond at the beginning of life is an essential step that sets the stage for cognitive,emotional, and social development later in life. Feeding and other care practices provide opportunities for psychosocial stimulation and help to establish a positive attachment between caregiver and child.(WHO) Under-nutrition magnifies the effect of every disease, such as measles,diarrhea and malaria. Asia has the largest number of hungry people (over 500 million) however S...
The first year of a baby’s life is a time of rapid changes and figuring out who to trust in the world. That first year many things happen that are very important to the future of the infant. This point in life is a time of “rapid physical and nervous system development, accomplishments that ensure an infant’s survival and ability to cope with its world” (Dacey et al., 2009). Babies rapidly gain weight in the first year so nutrition is a very important part of the development process. They need a good diet consisting of “carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and vitamins” (Dacey et al., 2009). Proper nutrition ensures the correct development of newborns survival. “Having survived prenatal hazards, newborns come equipped with automatic responses ideally suited for survival” (Myers, 2008). The first year of a baby’s life is very important in ensuring a successful journey heading into their future.
An ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, believed that any illness that was suffered by humans was due to their bad eating habits as well as their poor nutrition intake and historically, Hereditarians implied that the health of a fetus and the future of it was determined by its genes at conception, retrospectively evidence suggests that with the lack of nutrition a fetus receives, is a major contributory factor for future diseases (Edwards & Thomas, 2009).
The brain, also known as the “boss” of the human body, is an instrumental organ that directs all of the body’s activities. Whether a means to maintain homeostasis or a means to prevent diseases vis-à-vis the blood barrier, the brain is a key component, which, if unable to properly execute actions, can alter the functions of the body. Therefore, although there is a plethora of factors of child brain development, the most important influences are maternal distress during pregnancy, the environment, such as biological and physical stimuli, and prenatal and postnatal nutrition.
Research indicates that “the specification of fetal brain areas affected by prenatal exposure to nonoptimal maternal distress and nutrition, will, in part, identify developmental processes, such as synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and dendritic arborization, as vulnerable to the influences of these two maternal factors” (Monk, Georgieff, & Osterholm, 2013). Interestingly, the vitamins and nutrients a mother eats herself provides her child with vitamins and nutrients. Psychologist Martha May Reynolds wrote, “The science of nutrition has made careful studies of food requirements during pregnancy, and the results are now available to practically all mothers-to-be. Calcium is especially important in the formation of the child 's bones and teeth, and other minerals, vitamins and proteins play their parts in nourishing the developing embryo. The present and future health of both child and mother depend on a well-balanced diet for the mother” (Reynolds, 1939). Seemingly insignificant and something people take for granted, eating healthy foods is essential to the present and future health of the
Macfarlane and Mugford, 2000). However, birth weight is a major factor in determining infant survival, future physical growth and mental development. In addition, maternal nutritional status mainly affect to the low birth weight.
In a child's first years of life, it is important for optimal growth that they receive improved nutrition and improved learning opportunities. Not only are those two factors independently crucial to early development, but it has been said that they have a direct correlation. Among a plethora of results gathered from a study done in 2011 by Kate Northstone et al are “novel associations between dietary patterns in early childhood, and current diet, with ...
According to the surveys carried out by many organizations, the maternal malnutrition predominate this low birt...
If the children do not receive the nutrient’s need to grow up, they are more likely to experience physical mental and academic problems. The child body attempts to adopt lack of food by decreasing physical and intellectual growth. A child's formative period needs a balance of nutrients for normal brain development. This is subject in the Nutrition and Early Brain Development article “Shortages of nutrients such as iron and iodine can impair cognitive and motor development, and these effects are often irreversible”.(The urban child institute). So, Long term under nutrition can slow behavioral and cognitive development, affecting school achievement, and heath undermines future
Birth weight is considered as the first weight that measures immediately after birth of the baby. Birth weight of an infant is a strong indicator of the newborn's survival chances, growth, long-term health as well as the psychosocial development. Furthermore it is an efficient sign of the health and nutritional status during the pregnancy period and pre pregnancy period. Low birth weight has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as weight at birth of less than2500 grams (5.5 pounds). According to their survey results low birth weight babies are approximately 20 times have the chance of being fatal than normal babies within the first year of their life time. This LBW has become a crucial issue especially in the developing countries rather than in the developed countries. According to the estimat...
Beginning in the womb, nutrients obtained through the diet, in this case of the mother, begin playing a key role in the development of the brain and nervous system. A woman’s poor nutritional status before the time of conception can have detrimental effects on physical and cognitive development (Whitney & Rolfes, 2013, p. 486). It is clear that from the beginning of the lifespan nutrition plays a vital role and cognitive health and development. While nutrition is known to play a role in cognitive health, the question of just which nutrients and in what quantities will require many more years of research as new information is being discovered. There is a growing concern over the quality of ‘natural’ sources, such as breast milk and whole foods, as opposed to synthetic sources, such as infant formula and vitamin supplements. There has been much debate as to whether or ...
A child’s proper growth depends greatly on their nutrition and health. A healthy diet is essential to the developing child. Food should never be used to reward, punish, or bribe a child. Instead children should have three healthy meals with snacks in between. It is also important for children to have good self care behaviors (including bathing, washing hands, brushing teeth), and adequate sleep.
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.