The Causes And Identification Of Child Malnutrition – I’m A Mom

Learn to identify and fight child malnutrition in time.

Today, it is still important to fight child malnutrition. It is an evil of society that takes the lives of thousands of children around the world. Especially in resource-poor countries, but also in homes experiencing economic difficulties.

However, there are many myths about child malnutrition stemming from the lack of information on the part of most people. The truth is that nutrition is one of the areas of health that presents the most distortions by the general population.

Common Distortions in Child Malnutrition

Child malnutrition is considered by many people to be a condition mainly perceived by the child’s thin body. The truth is that a child’s body thinness does not determine whether or not he is malnourished and, in fact, this condition can also affect overweight children. Therefore, we can deduce that, although there is a correlation between thinness and malnutrition, in most cases these conditions are not mutually exclusive.

What really is child malnutrition?

Child malnutrition is a pathology resulting from insufficient food consumption for the human body. This is a common problem in many countries and in regions of extreme poverty, where there is not enough purchasing power to meet the food needs of its members.

As a pathology, childhood malnutrition originates in response to the lack of essential nutrients for the optimal functioning of the body’s vital processes. In this sense, ample diets in quantities of meals, but, for example, low-protein meals, can manage to maintain a body weight within the ideal range. Even so, they can generate symptoms of malnutrition such as anemia.

Causes of child malnutrition

When exogenous factors such as extreme poverty or food crisis are not a present circumstance, child malnutrition can occur for different causes. Among them, we can highlight:

• Inappropriate diet. An unbalanced diet that omits the consumption of foods that carry part of the body’s essential nutrients.
• Eating disorders. Anorexia or bulimia can appear very early in life, even in childhood.

• Gastrointestinal pathologies. Prevent the correct absorption of nutrients from food.
• Metabolic pathologies. An abnormal functioning of the processes that metabolize and utilize nutrients.

When should I worry about my child’s weight?

In order to be able to determine if a child’s weight is inadequate and to identify a possible case of malnutrition, it is necessary to consult the doctor to assess the body mass index determined for the child’s age and height. Some cases of child malnutrition can show clear symptoms. But, in most cases, symptoms are often diffuse in relation to the source. Therefore, any suspicion of malnutrition can only be confirmed by a professional.

Symptoms that give the alert: 

• Headache
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• dyspnea
• Apathy.

• Between others

How do I know if my child has childhood malnutrition?

The best way to determine if our child is malnourished is to have a medical evaluation. Through examinations, it will be possible to determine the child’s health status in more detail, as well as identify the source of symptoms. It is worth remembering that within the spectrum of child malnutrition, there are other conditions such as anemia, diabetes and hyperthyroidism.

The importance of identifying child malnutrition

During childhood, nutrition plays a fundamental role in the proper development of the body, and this is the most important stage of life in relation to the need for good nutrition.

Untreated childhood malnutrition can lead to chronic malnutrition. At this stage of life, it is an extremely serious condition because it conditions the proper development of the most important aspects of the human body, thus causing more chronic problems, both physical, such as those related to growth and the immune system, and mental, such as, for example , the proper development of intelligence.

All of this impacts more than just the child’s health. In other words, childhood malnutrition can limit the child’s academic and professional performance in the future.