HEALTH EDUCATION

MALNUTRITION &

CONSTITUENTS OF FOOD

MALNUTRITION

Malnutrition means insufficient and unwholesome feeding. Many

children in our country are malnourished either due to poverty,

parental ignorance and backwardness or because of unhealthy feeding

habits and non-intake of balanced diet

Poor mental and physical condition

Pale, charmless, lazy and always feels drowsy

Easily fatigued with a slight strenuous work

Susceptible to disease and ill-health

Highly irritable and gloomy in nature

Lacks concentration and forgets what he learns

Shows no interest in learning or playing

MALNOURISHED CHILD

ROLE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Should collect funds from various sources like the State Government, rich people of the society, welfare agencies etc

Funds be used to provide healthy, nutritious food in the mid-day meal scheme

Parents should be given guidance with regards to diet.

Parents should be told about the value of good nutrition & the evils of malnutrition

The teachers should create awareness in the students regarding the ill effects of

malnutrition through stories and plays

WHY IS FOOD NECESSARY? All living beings need food to live

Food is necessary to build the body tissue, repair worn out tissue and to grow

It is necessary to gain strength and fight disease-causing germs, produce anti-toxins

For the well functioning of all the parts of the body

CONSTITUENTS OF FOOD Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, salts, vitamins and water are

the various constituents of food

Proteins - to form new tissues and repair worn-out ones

Carbohydrates give heat and energy to the body , maintain

the body temperature

Vitamins control the metabolism.

Water keeps the fluidity of blood, helps in digestion ,

excretion & regulates body temperature

PROTEINS Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur

and phosphorus

Chief sources of nitrogen available in the form of gluten in wheat, legumen in peas & green vegetables and casein in milk

Two main kinds of proteins – animal proteins and vegetable proteins

Animal proteins found in eggs, meat, milk are easily digestible than the veg proteins found in wheat, peas, beans, and pulses

Animal proteins are more useful to human body than the veg proteins because the proteins present in the human body are similar to those present in animals

Because of their utility in human beings, animal proteins are called ‘A’ class proteins

PROTEINS Both classes of proteins are helpful for the physical

growth and development of children and youth because

They build up new tissues in growing children

They make up for the loss of nitrogenous matter removed by the excretory system as urea and urine

If proteins are taken in excess they are stored as fat under the skin

Consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Present in two forms – starch and sugar.

Starch is found in cereals like wheat, maize and rice and in certain vegetables like potato, sago etc.

Sugar is present in sugarcane, beetroot, sweet potato, fruits and milk in the form of lactose.

CARBOHYDRATES

CARBOHYDRATES Main sources of heat and energy as they

are used as fuel - called as fuel foods

Changed into glucose during digestion and reach muscles through blood, where they are used for generating energy

Remaining glucose is stored in the form of glycogen in the muscles and used when required

In cases of pancreatic dysfunction excess sugar is excreted through urine and this defect is called diabetes mellitus

FATS Contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Help as fuel foods

Two types of fats called as animal fats (butter, ghee etc) and vegetable fats (mustard, coconut, castor etc.)

Animal fats produce more heat and energy when compared to vegetable fats

Animal fats contain vitamins A and D that helps in building bones and teeth

Salts and minerals like chlorides, phosphates, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium and iodine are required for the building up of body tissues

They are directly absorbed by the body and require no digestion

SALTS & MINERALS

IMPORTANCE OF SALTS Common salt is an important part of our

tissues and blood and is the chief source of hydrochloric acid in our stomach and bile salts in liver.

Calcium salts are major parts of our bones, teeth, blood and other tissues. Deficiency of calcium slats in children causes bone diseases and teeth decay.

Iron is necessary for heamoglobin

formation and deficiency of iron leads to

anemia

Sodium and potassium are needed to

maintain the salinity of blood and proper

working of the muscles

Iodine is needed for the proper functioning

of thyroid gland and deficiency of iodine

causes goitre

Essential Interventions to Combat Malnutrition Related to the consumption and absorption of adequate protein calorie/micro-nutrient

rich foods essential to combat malnutrition, namely:

1. Weighment of child within 6 hours of birth and thereafter at monthly intervals.

2. Timely initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth, and feeding of colostrum to the infant.

3. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life.

4. Timely introduction of complementary foods at six months and adequate intake of the same, in terms of

quantity, quality and frequency for children between 6-24 months.

5. Dietary supplements of all children between 6 months – 72 months through energy dense foods made by

SHGs from locally available food material to bridge the protein calorie gap.

6. Safe handling of complementary foods and hygienic complementary feeding practices.

7. Complete immunization and Vit. A supplementation.

8. De-worming of all family members bi-annually.

9. Frequent, appropriate, and active feeding for children during and after illness,

including oral rehydration with Zinc supplementation during diarrhea.

10. Timely and quality therapeutic feeding and care for all children with severe and acute

malnutrition.

11. Dietary supplements of iron – rich, energy dense foods made from locally available

food material prepared by women SHGs for adolescent girls and women, especially

during growth periods and pregnancy to fill the protein calorie gap and ensure optimal

weight gain during pregnancy.

12. Anaemia screening for children, adolescent girls and women.

13. Weight monitoring of all adolescent girls and pregnant women.

14. Prevention and management of Micro-Nutrient deficiencies, especially through IFA

supplementation to prevent anaemia in adolescent girls and women.

15. Making available low cost energy foods for the general population.

16. Fortification of common foods.

Nutrition Monitoring and Surveillance :

1. A computerized Central and Block level monitoring systems should be devised

with deliverable targets and time frames

2. An effective concurrent monitoring system through an external agency can also

be established for measuring outcomes, and for effecting changes and mid

course corrections

3. At the AW level, community based nutrition monitoring and surveillance

through ICDS infrastructure could include growth monitoring of infants and

children and weight monitoring of adolescent girls and women

4. Creating a data base on the nutritional status of children, adolescents and

women in each Anganwadi

5. And The major factor appointing truthful officers and reduce Corruption .

Concluding Observations:

1. Since at least 4% of India’s GDP ($29 Billion) annually is lost on account of

malnutrition, the cost of addressing malnutrition is far below the cost of not

addressing it.

2. It may be noted that the cost of construction of 3 kilometres of rural road is in

excess of the amount required to address the nutrition deficit of the key target

groups in the Block.

3. Investing in human resources development for the future – in the shape of

healthy children, adolescents and adults with higher cognitive and productive

capacity, is an investment that will pay for itself several times over, will

eradicate the curse of malnutrition in the shortest possible time, so that every

Indian is able to reach his or her full physical and cognitive potential, enhance

income generation capacity and contribute to the country's progress.