Causes and Effects of Malnutrition in Children
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of carrying out this research is to examine the causes and effects of malnutrition on children. The work aims to deal with the following objectives;
To know the causes and effects of malnutrition
To know what malnutrition is all about
To know the problems facing malnutrition and their prevention
To enlighten the people about the consequences of malnutrition
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
MALNUTRITION
Malnutrition is a broad term that refers to “all deviations from adequate and optimal nutritional status” resulting from specific nutrient deficiencies or diets based on inappropriate combinations or proportions of foods. There are two forms of malnutrition: over-nutrition and under-nutrition. Over-nutrition is the hyper-consumption of calories and nutrients beyond levels necessary for growth, development, and metabolic functioning. Over-nutrition can lead to obesity. Under-nutrition, often used interchangeably with malnutrition, results primarily from inadequate intake of dietary energy but may also be caused by infections that limit absorption of key nutrients. Undernutrition is further subdivided into two fluid disease categories that have different impacts: micronutrient deficiencies result from insufficient consumption of vitamins (for example, vitamin A, vitamin B), and minerals (for example, zinc, iodine, iron); and protein-energy malnutrition results from insufficient calorie and macronutrient (for example, protein) consumption. Based upon the type of nutritional deficit, an individual is said to be acutely and/or chronically malnourished. Acute malnutrition is caused by a sudden decrease in food consumption that results in rapid weight loss and a physical inability to meet the energetic needs of the body. Acute malnutrition is the most visible form of malnutrition and is typified by severe wasting (disproportional weight for height) and/or edema (the retention of fluid). Acute malnutrition can lead to reductions in age-appropriate growth, depressed immune functioning, fluid overload, heart failure, infection, and death. The prevalence of acute malnutrition within a displaced populations is often used as an indicator of the severity of the humanitarian crisesis. Chronic malnutrition is the result of inadequate nutrition over a long period of time and is not always as visible as acute malnutrition. It can begin in utero with poor maternal nutrition and persist through inadequate feeding practices and suboptimal food quality. Frequent exposure to bacterial infections can further contribute. Chronic malnutrition most commonly manifests through physical stunting—the term used to describe individuals whose weight and height may appear proportional but who are shorter and slighter than their full genetic potential. The severity of chronic and acute malnutrition is diagnosed using anthropomorphic measures. Those with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) or moderate chronic malnutrition (MCM) are 2–3 standard deviations below the population’s weight for age and height for weight averages. Similarly, those who are severely acutely malnourished (SAM) or severely chronically malnourished (SCM) are at least 3 standard deviations below the population’s growth averages.
MALNUTRITION IN CHILDHOOD
Malnutrition is among the four leading causes of child mortality around the globe. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported malnutrition was linked to 45% of all childhood deaths. Malnutrition is a contributing factor in the deaths of 60.7% of children diagnosed with diarrheal diseases, 57.3% of deaths associated with malaria, 52.3% deaths associated with pneumonia, and 44.8% of deaths from measles. The UN Standing Committee on Nutrition estimated 26.5% of children in developing countries were stunted in 2005,5 and one year later, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported South Asia had a 46% prevalence of stunting in children under five. Children are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition during the first 1,000 days following conception. Inadequate nutrition during this period can lead to delayed and impaired cognitive and physical development. This malnutrition-based damage is largely irreversible and can lead to poor school and work achievement and an increased risk for developing diseases later in life. In 2007, the International Child Development Steering Group found that children raised with limited access to nutritional resources were less likely to be socially and economically productive adults. This finding supported the inextricable link between childhood malnutrition and poverty later in life.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought causes and effects of malnutrition in children
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information causes and effects of malnutrition in children. 200 residents in Ovia North East Local Governemnt Area of Edo State was selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain causes and effects of malnutrition in children. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of causes and effects of malnutrition in children
Summary
This study was on causes and effects of malnutrition in children. Four objectives were raised which included: To know the causes and effects of malnutrition, to know what malnutrition is all about, to know the problems facing malnutrition and their prevention, to enlighten the people with the consequences of malnutrition. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 residents of Ovia north local government area of Edo state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made of married men, married women, youths and students were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Poor diet, mental health problems, mobility problems, digestive disorders and stomach conditions, alcoholism etc all are the causes of malnutrition. It was also concluded by the researcher from the available literature that loss of fat, difficulty in respiration, and complication during surgery are the main sign and symptoms of malnutrition. Furthermore, under nutrition can lead the body toward weakness and over nutrition lead the body toward obesity
Recommendation
- Parents should try reduce the size of the family for proper nutrition
- Individual family should produce children depends on their financial status for proper nutrition
REFERENCES
- UNICEF. The right to food: Beyond rhetoric. FAO Corp Doc Repos. http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0262e/x0262e18.htm.
- Accessed October 5, 2015. 2. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development. The State of Food Insecurity in the World.
- Meeting the 2015 International Hunger Targets: Taking Stock of Uneven Progress. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; 2015.
- IFAD, WFP, FAO. The State of Food Insecurity in the World: The multiple dimensions of food security. 2013. http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3458e/i3458e.pdf. 4.
- UNFAO. The State of Food Insecurity in the World. 2012. 5.
- UNSCN. 5th Report on the World Nutrition Situation – Nutrition for Improved Development Outcoms. March 2004. http://www.unsystem.org/scn/Publications/AnnualMeeting/SCN31/SCN5Report.pdf. 6.
