Nutritional status affect
every aspect of a child’s Health including normal growth and development,
physical activity, and response to serious illness. Malnutrition may originate
from deficiency of absence of nutrients. The establishment and severity of
malnutrition depends on the cause, intensity and duration of nutritional
deficiency. It can be caused, primarily, by an inadequate diet or, secondarily,
by deficiency in gastrointestinal absorption and/or increase in demand, or
even, by an excretion of
nutrients [Gomez, f.; et al., 1956].
PROTEIN-CALORIE MALNUTRITION (PCM)
Protein-calorie
malnutrition (PCM), also known as protein-energy malnutrition, is defined by
the WHO as being a pathological condition that results from a lower ingestion
of protein and calorie, which occurs more frequently in children under five
years of age.
Figure 1 shows the direct and indirect causes of
malnutrition. It is impossible Mexican nutritionist: “The basic origin of
malnutrition is to be found in the malfunctioning of society as a whole and
accompanying injustice” [Arroyo, P.; et
al., 2000].
Figure 1. Direct and
indirect causes of malnutrition, showing poverty is the main underlying cause
of malnutrition and its determinants. Adapted from Muller and Krawinkel,
[Muller, O.; and Krawinkel, M. malnutrition and health in developing countries.
[MAJ. 2005].
In 2009, the WHO estimated that 27% of children
in developing countries under the age is 5 years are malnourished.
Approximately 178 million children (32% of children in the developing world)
suffer from chronic malfunction. Although the prevalence of childhood
malnutrition is decreasing in Asia, countries in South Asia still have both the
highest rates of malnutrition and the largest numbers of malnourished children
indeed the prevalence of malnutrition in India,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan (38.51%) is much higher
than in sub-Sahara African (26%). In Mexico,
the must recent nation nutrition survey estimated that 1.8 million children
under 5 years of age are malnourished.
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