Mother and Child Nutrition

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Mother and child nutrition encompasses a vast array of meanings, depending on the country a mother resides. In sum, the goal is to get a mother and her child to an optimum state of health and nutrition to combat illnesses, sicknesses, and deficiencies that can arise and put the mother and child at risk pre, during, or post pregnancy.

Unfortunately, many developing countries lack the ability to provide quality care to its citizens and Jamaica is no exception. In Jamaica, common deficiencies are associated with mother and child nutrition, such as anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine deficiency10.These deficiencies can also effect a mother before she has conceived and after her child has been born. The nutrition of mother and child can also be characterized separately.

According to the World Health Organization, a mother’s nutrition is characterized by moderate to severe thinness, being underweight, overweight, or obese10. Weight is measured by the values of the body mass index (BMI)10. BMI is a weight-to-height classification for adults10. It is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2)10. A BMI of 18.5 and 24.9 would be considered normal weight for an adult10. Therefore, a body weight above or below the recommended average while pregnant could lead to serious complications for mother and child.

Anemia can also affect a mother during her pregnancy and is a worldwide problem in the developing world and the English-speaking Caribbean4, 6. WHO defines anemia in pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration < 110 g/l at sea level10. It’s important to note that the Jamaican standards for anemia varies according to gestational weeks, while the WHO anemia standards for hemoglobin leve...

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...ernay, J., & Grantham-McGregor, S. (2004). Feasibility of integrating early stimulation into primary care for undernourished Jamaican children: Cluster randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 329(7457), 89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.38132.503472.7C

Surkan, P. J., Kennedy, C. E., Hurley, K. M., & Black, M. M. (2011). Maternal depression and early childhood growth in developing countries: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 89(8), 607-605D. http://dx.doi.org/10.2471%2FBLT.11.088187

The United Nations Children’s Fund. (2003). Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/jamaica_2166.html

World Health Organization. (2010). Country profile indicators: Interpretation guide. Nutrition Landscape Information System. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/nutrition/nlis_interpretation_guide.pdf

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