Malnutrition occurs when a body lacks nutrients to help it grow and stay healthy. The Kids Health website states that more than 1 billion people in the world do not have enough food to eat and that a child dies every six seconds from malnutrition. Although malnutrition is not a major problem in the United States, 1 percent of U.S. children are chronically malnourished. Complications from malnutrition can be severe and in some cases life threatening.
Stunted Growth
Stunting refers to malnourished kids who do not grow as tall as they should. Stunted children may look normal, but when compared to other kids their age, their height is significantly shorter and they may be underweight. In 2007, a study published in the "Journal of Nutrition" indicated that stunting caused depression, poor self-esteem, hyperactive behavior, low cognition and IQ and poor school achievement. In addition, children stunted early in life had poorer psychological function later in life when compared to non-stunted children.
Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin A is important for healthy vision, preventing infections and maintaining a strong immune system. However, 250 million preschool children worldwide are vitamin A-deficient and are at risk of developing preventable health conditions, according to the World Health Organization. Vitamin A deficiency in children not only causes visual impairment and blindness, but it also increases the risk of severe illness or death from childhood infections such as measles and diarrhea.
Kwashiorkor & Marasmus
Kwashiorkor and marasmus are two serious conditions that can result from malnutrition. Children who have kwashiorkor may look fat because they have a bloated or distended belly; however, the Linus Pauling Institute suggests that this appearance is primarily due to edema or the buildup of excessive fluid. Marasmus causes children to look emaciated or underweight and it involves chronic wasting of fat, muscle and other tissues, according to the World Health Organization.
Mental Health
The brain needs adequate amounts of nutrients and energy to function properly. The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health proposes that nutritional deficiencies can cause nerve damage and impaired memory and brain function and that it limits problem-solving abilities. Children who are malnourished have an increased risk of being iodine deficient, which causes mental retardation, poor school performance, low intelligence and learning disabilities, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. In addition to these physical problems, Johns Hopkins Children's Center suggests that malnourished children also experience anxiety, mood changes and other psychiatric symptoms.
References
- Kids Health: Hunger and Malnutrition; November 2009
- John Hopkins Children's Center: What Is Malnutrition
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Early Childhood Stunting Is Associated with Poor Psychological Functioning in Late Adolescence and Effects Are Reduced by Psychosocial Stimulation; Susan Walker
- The World Health Organization: Vitamin A Deficiency
- Linus Pauling Institute; Nutrition and Immunity; August 2010
- World Health Organization; Water-Related Diseases; 2011
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