Nutrition transition Flashcards
Undernutrition Overview
» Wasting (acute malnutrition)
» Stunting (chronic malnutrition)
» Micronutrient defciencies
Types of malnutrition
» Undernutrition
- Wasting (acute malnutrition)
- Stunting (chronic malnutrition)
- Micronutrient defciencies
» Overnutrition
- Obesity / overweight
Child malnutrition
“Good nutrition sets children on the path to survive and
thrive. Well-nourished children grow, develop, learn, play,
participate and contribute – while malnutrition robs children
of their full potential, with consequences for children, nations
and the world.”
Wasting and stunting
Child malnutrition
» Undernutrition is most commonly associated with children
» All forms of undernutrition can afect a child’s health in adulthood and later life
» Stunting afects a child’s growth trajectory and cognitive development
» Severe wasting can be life-threatening
Wasting (acute malnutrition)
» Wasting is the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition
» It often indicates recent and severe weight loss, although it can also persist for a long time
» Children with wasting are too thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them
vulnerable to developmental delays, disease and death
Wasting (acute malnutrition)
Wasting (acute malnutrition)
Consequences of wasting
“Wasting impairs the functioning of the immune system and can lead to increased severity and
duration of, and susceptibility to, infectious diseases, and an increased risk of death.”
~ World Health Organisation
» Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death due to:
- Pneumonia
- Diarrhea
- Measles
- Meningitis
Treatment for wasting
» Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF)
- e.g. “Plumpy’Nut”
» Made from powdered milk, peanuts,
butter, vegetable oil, sugar, and a mix of
vitamins and minerals
» High nutritional value, allowing wasted
children to gain weight quickly
Stunting (chronic malnutrition)
“Stunting is the impaired growth and
development that children experience
from poor nutrition, repeated
infection, and inadequate
psychosocial stimulation.”
~ World Health Organisation
Stunting (chronic malnutrition)
» Stunting is caused by factors throughout childhood, but primarily during the “frst 1,000
days”—the period just before conception (when the mother’s nutritional status is of
paramount importance) to a child’s second birthday.
» The impact of the poor diet, health, and care that lead to stunting, however, lasts far beyond
childhood.
» The physical and cognitive consequences are largely irreversible, despite parents’ best
eforts later in the child’s life.
» For the most part, stunting itself cannot be treated, only prevented.
Consequences of stunting
» Closely linked with child development in several domains including cognitive, language, and
sensory-motor capacities
» Poor cognition and educational performance
» Lost productivity, low adult wages
» When accompanied by excessive weight gain later in childhood, an increased risk of
nutrition-related chronic diseases in adult life
Micronutrient defciencies
» Micronutrient defciencies compromise
immune systems, hinder child growth and
development, and afect human potential
worldwide
» Defciencies in iron, vitamin A, iodine, zinc
are the most common around the world,
particularly in children and pregnant
women
Consequences of MN defciencies
» Iodine defciency may cause mental impairment that reduces intellectual capacity.
» Vitamin A defciency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases
the risk of disease and death from severe infections such as diarrhoeal disease and measles.
» Zinc defciency can contribute to increased severity of diarrhea and pneumonia.
» Defciencies in iron, folate and vitamins B12 and A can lead to anaemia.
Overweight and obesity
“Abnormal or excessive fat
accumulation that presents a risk to
health.”
~ World Health Organisation