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How many children are actually receiving the right balance of nutrition to give them what they need? In some countries in Asia and the Pacific, not much more than half.
Nutrition in its simplest form is a science. As children grow, their bodies need the right balance of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein to develop correctly.
This balance comes from what they eat – breast milk exclusively for at least six months, then the beginning of a nutritional and varied diet that helps with body, brain and bone development, provides energy to play and learn and bolsters immune systems against childhood diseases.
There are many reasons why children do not receive this balance.
- Food shortages – caused by inadequate harvests, natural disasters or unequal food access
- Food costs – often driven by shortages or national/global market trends which can push the cost of food beyond what poor families can afford
- Food availability – what is being grown and cooked by communities may not contain a full spectrum of nutritional requirements. Rice, a staple throughout Asia, is filling but not nutritious on its own.
- Knowledge - nutritional care for children is in the hands of their parents, usually their mothers. In poor communities, knowledge of diet and nutrition is limited, especially for women who have never been to school.
- Traditions and beliefs – customs around breastfeeding vary from community to community. When babies are moved from breast milk to low nutrition rice porridges their weight and health drops dramatically.
The results of missing out on nutritious food, especially under the age of five, are permanent and can be devastating. Stunting, reduced brain size, skin conditions, bone diseases (for instance rickets) are all caused by malnutrition. As well, children are more susceptible to disease.
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