Leader, children who have poor growth, weight loss, or are always suffering from some infectious disease, such as diarrhea and respiratory diseases, may get malnourished and need a lot of attention and care.
Malnutrition can start during pregnancy, causing the child to be born underweight or premature. It can also be caused by the interruption of exclusive breastfeeding before six months, a lack of healthy food in childhood, and poor hygiene conditions.
Malnutrition happens:
- because the child is not consuming foods that contain important nutrients for health, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals;
- because the child has a disease, which can be a simple worm or something more serious, such as difficulty absorbing food or heart problems, among others.
When malnutrition is not treated, it can become more serious, and the child can even die.
In the first years of life, children are more likely to be malnourished because they grow very fast and need to be fed well. That is why it is very important to monitor the weight and height of the child, identify those who are at nutritional risk, and promote the recovery of their health status.
The first 1000 days of life are critical to ensuring children's health, growth, and development in the short and long term.
If care during pregnancy can prevent several diseases throughout life, the same goes for the first two years. Taking care of the child during this period is essential for proper growth and development. And just like in the womb, feeding is one of the main steps to ensuring a healthy and happy child. If they do not have adequate food, they will become malnourished and can also suffer the consequences of this in adult life.
The tendency is that, as an adult, this person has a shorter height, gets sick easily, and has compromised development. Research also shows that these adults have less schooling and a worse socioeconomic status. However, if recovery takes place within the first two years, the negative effects of malnutrition tend to disappear.
Preventing malnutrition
- Exclusive breastfeeding up to six months of life is extremely important.
- Introduce an adequate complementary feeding after six months of age.
- Continue breastfeeding up to two years of age or more, along with other healthy foods.
- e-Capacitação
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- e-Basic Guide from pregnancy to 2 years old
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- The baby up to 6 months of age
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- Child Malnutrition
- e-Capacitação
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- e-Guide from pregnancy to 6 years old
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- The four and five month baby
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- Child Malnutrition