Sunday, March 4, 2012

How can we deal with it? Especially WHO...


WHO together with the Department of Health, conducts a monthly “Operation Timbang” among the places that has a high rate of malnutrition cases. After weighing, kids 0 to 10 years old will participate in growth-monitoring program and supplementary feeding. The World Health Organization will make sure that various objectives will be attained like the following;
To provide an estimate of the nutritional requirements of children with moderate malnutrition, examining wasted and stunted children separately.
To formulate recommendations to improve the dietary management of moderate malnutrition.
Recommendations for feeding children with moderate malnutrition for the Codex Almentarius working group developing standards of food products for underweight children.
Currently, with the continuous help of the government and WHO, malnutrition cases decreased and this gave a positive effect to most of the children who participated in the program. Children can now have a full life without having to suffer from hunger and various diseases. Feeding them and giving them what they need is truly an important thing that everyone should. Parents must take the responsibility of providing them good food for their children's well-being. The WHO is already giving its share in eliminating malnutrition but people should also know that not everything can be asked for. A parent should know that feeding his or her child is a responsibility that should not be neglected.
Keep in mind that in order to have a healthy body, people, especially kids, must eat good food. Everyone deserves to eat more than three times a day, everyone deserves to have a fuller life. Support WHO's advocate by doing your own unique way of helping those who need assistance!
-Worl Health Organization (WHO)

What causes malnutrition in the Philippines?

  • Food shortages - in poorer developing nations food shortages are mainly caused by a lack of technology needed for higher yields found in modern agriculture, such as nitrogen fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. Food shortages are a significant cause of malnutrition in many parts of the world.
  • Food prices and food distribution - it is ironic that approximately 80% of malnourished children live in developing nations that actually produce food surpluses (Food and Agriculture Organization). Some leading economists say that famine is closely linked to high food prices and problems with food distribution.
  • Lack of breastfeeding - experts say that lack of breastfeeding, especially in the developing world, leads to malnutrition in infants and children. In some parts of the world mothers still believe that bottle feeding is better for the child. Another reason for lack of breastfeeding, mainly in the developing world, is that mothers abandon it because they do not know how to get their baby to latch on properly, or suffer pain and discomfort.



But as what I've observed the causes of malnutrition in the Philippines are mainly poverty, food shortage, Poor Sanitation, natural disasters (like Hurricane, Earthquake, volcanic eruptions, etc...) and specially corruption of the government officials 




What is Malnutrition?


Malnutrition is a broad term which refers to both undernutrition (subnutrition) and overnutrition. Individuals are malnourished, or suffer from undernutrition if their diet does not provide them with adequate calories and protein for maintenance and growth, or they cannot fully utilize the food they eat due to illness. People are also malnourished, or suffer from overnutrition if they consume too many calories. 



Malnutrition can also be defined as the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients. Several differentnutrition disorders may develop, depending on which nutrients are lacking or consumed in excess. 



According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is the gravest single threat to global public health.