OTISO: Ensure balanced diet to save children from malnutrition

Malnutrition among children has been a topic of discussion in the United Nations for quite some time but despite that, malnutrition is still a global threat and Kenya is no exception.

Malnutrition is a dietary deficiency that results in poor health conditions.

This worrying condition has been cited as a public health concern in Kenya and the world at large.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund and World Health Organization, malnutrition is more prevalent in children than adults.

However,  children who are under five years of age are at risk but it should be understood that malnutrition can occur in children of all ages.

Malnutrition being the single most dangerous threat to global public health remains a major cause of child morbidity and mortality.

Unicef makes it clear that there are three top underlying factors.

They include food security, inadequate care and unhealthy environment, and lack of health care services but poverty remains an important underlying cause of malnutrition in children.

According to WHO, malnutrition is the underlying cause of 3.1 million child deaths annually and leads to lasting damage for millions of other children.

The major symptoms of malnutrition include poor appetite, massive weight loss, always feeling cold, inability to concentrate, longer healing of the wound, and stunted growth among others.

It is high time different stakeholders came together to tackle malnutrition among children since if ignored it results in undesirable effects.

Some of these effects are increased risk of infection, reduced ability to fight infection, severe weight loss in children and premature death.

Children who are born with low birth weight and have intrauterine growth retardation are at risk of morbidity and mortality and other forms of malnutrition compared to healthy infants.

Therefore according to experts, children like these should be diagnosed early.

Parents and caregivers should make it a routine to provide a balanced diet to the children and they should ensure their children are protected from nutritional deficiencies.

The government should prioritise tackling this worrying condition that is vulnerable to children since most children's issues have lagged.

To achieve our Sustainable Development Goal, we must all know that good health is key and it's high time we saved our children from malnutrition.

Student at Rongo University

 

Edited by Kiilu Damaris

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