Effects Of Poverty And Malnutrition

Nutrition is the science that delas with the study of intake of nutrients and their functions in the body. It also involves the study of the chemical and physical properties of nutrients and their food sources, deficiency, symptoms and their appropriate proportion in a balanced diet. (Bello, 1985) Malnutrition can be caused by over-nutrition (excess energy or nutrient intake) or under-nutrition (deficient energy or nutrient intake). We usually think of malnutrition as a condition that results when the cells do not receive an adequate supply of essential nutrients because of poor diet or poor utilization of food. (Ruth & Townsend, 2012) According to Olusanya (2000), under-nutrition occurs when insufficient quantities of nutrients are consumed …show more content…
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (2005). “Poverty threatens every night, depriving children of the capacities they require to survive, develop and thrive.” (Callister, 2007) The world produces enough food to feed everyone. The real problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow or income to purchase enough food. Poverty and malnutrition can create a self-sustaining cycle where there is never enough security or stability for recovery of health or economic …show more content…
According to John, (2000) “In early 1990s resulted of the first epidemiological study malnutrition showed that malnutrition potentiated the infectious diseases.” Nutritional status clearly compromised by diseases with an environmental component, such as those carried by insect or protozan vectors or those caused by an environment deficient in macronutrients. (Biossner & Mercedes, 2005) Malnutrition in children can be assessed using anthropometry, biochemical indicators and clinical signs of malnutrition (e.g. oedema, hair and skin changes). The advantage of anthropometry is that the body measurements are sensitive over the full spectrum of