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| Children with malnutrition in conflict areas in Africa |
Nutrition and malnutrition is a meaningful topic to me because,
growing up in a rural area, we saw cases of children who had poor nutritional
habits. Even though my mother provided us with healthy foods, many children in
the area did not seem to eat healthy on a regular basis. We were blessed as
children to be raised by our family and the close proximity to our aunts, uncles,
and grandparents provided us with many opportunities to eat healthy. We ate
greens, corn bread, corn, peas, green beans, beets, rice, and many other
vegetables and fruits you could imagine. Nutritional foods were not a stranger
to us, but sometimes we would have rather had junk food instead; today, I still
prefer to eat healthy over non-healthy foods. My grandparents raised many crops
in our area including watermelon and peas, so access to nutritional foods were not a
problem. All of my life, I have been afforded the opportunity to have accessible nutritional foods; I chose this topic because, many children do not have that
same opportunity.
Nutrition disorders occur because of a lack of vitamins and
mineral and also an over consumption of these things; meaning, overeating and
under eating is detrimental for children and adults. According to the Lancet,
(2006), “13 million children under age 5 years have severe acute
malnutrition (SAM), and the disorder is associated with 1 million to 2 million
preventable child deaths each year.” These numbers are astonishing, who knew
so many children died each year of a preventable illness. “In, sub-Sahara Africa,
174 out of 1,000 die each year, in South Asia 97 out of 1,000 die…Latin America
and the Caribbean lead in the deaths of children each year as a result of
malnutrition (WHO, 2009). Since this date, these numbers fluctuate; many
governments are trying to provide alternative measures to reduce the rate of
death as a result of malnutrition.
The information I have learned impacts my future
work as an educator because, I recognize the signs and symptoms of a child who
is suffering from malnutrition. Many behavior problems are a direct result of
nutritional deficiencies. As an educator I must evaluate and assess a child to
see if he or she is receiving the foods needed to promote healthy growth and
development. I know in the U.S. we have food programs such as WIC and food
stamp; parents should use these assistance programs to purchase healthy,
nutritional foods, rather than junk or foods that lack nutritional value.
Through my research, I am more informed on the deaths related to this topic;
now, I have new resources to present to parents and caregivers with the
intention of increasing education related to malnutrition and nutrition. With
this new information, I can advocate for all children and their health and
well-being.
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