Early childhood malnutrition is a world epidemic. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, or UNICEF, about half of all childhood deaths worldwide are associated with malnutrition. In countries such as Zambia and Korea, nearly 60 percent of children are considered malnourished. Only 3.6 percent of households experience hunger in America. Even though the United States has the lowest rates of malnutrition in the world, malnutrition does still exist.
Childhood Malnutrition Facts
Childhood malnutrition is a lack of dietary energy and protein needed to continue to grow at a healthy rate. Children who are malnourished tend to be at risk not only physically, but also intellectually. When tested in math and English, malnourished children score significantly lower than their healthy peers; this fact is not surprising since the human brain needs energy to function normally. Even more alarming is that a child dies every 10 seconds due to complications of malnourishment, such as excessive diarrhea and respiratory disorders.
Alternative Names
Malnutrition in early childhood is also called primary malnutrition. The two most common types of primary malnutrition are marasmus and kwashiorkor.
Marasmus syndrome is seen mostly in infancy. This syndrome is an energy deficiency and its primary cause is the mother's lack of breast milk or lack of nutrients in breast milk, due to her own lack of food or poor diet. Infants who have marasmus take in very few calories and typically look very skinny and starved. It is common for these infants to have skin folds and dry skin.
Kwashiorkor is usually seen in children between ages 1 and 5. The cause of this type of malnutrition, unlike marasmus, is not calorie intake, but rather protein intake. In kwashiorkor syndrome, children take in a sufficient amount of calories but little-to-no protein, causing edema. Edema is increased fluids within the body; these children can be identified by a protruding belly that is a result of the increased fluids. Kwashiorkor syndrome typically starts to develop around age 1, when the child is weaned from the mother's breast milk, which is high in protein. Children whose families have few resources to provide a diet rich in protein are at particular risk for kwashiorkor syndrome.
Diagnosis
The first step to a diagnosis of malnutrition is a weight and height check. Medical staff will weigh and measure a child to find out if there is growth stunting. A physical examination of the hair, skin and stomach will be performed. Skin folds will also be measured to determine if there is any water retention, a sign of edema. Additional blood work will be done to assess any deficiencies the child may have. A diagnosis of malnutrition is given if the individual doctor feels a child's condition is likely being caused by malnourishment.
Prevention
Some families do not have access to protein sources or enough money to provide proper
nutrition for their children, however, there are some cheap alternatives to expensive meats such as steak and chicken. Low-income parents can provide their kids with eggs, canned tuna or even canned beans. Calorie-rich, but healthy foods for budget-conscious parents include peanut butter and inexpensive wheat bread. Nursing mothers should also eat healthy to prevent malnutrition in their nursing infants.
Since some countries do not have access to these basic necessities to prevent malnourishment, there are many food-aid programs that supply as much food as possible to residents with the help of volunteers and donations. While such programs cannot overcome hunger and malnutrition around the world, they do help as many suffering children as they can.
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