Malnutrition continues to be a pressing health concern in the Philippines, with many children—especially babies—suffering from undernutrition. A malnourished baby is at risk not only of stunted growth but also of weakened immunity, developmental delays, and even early death. In fact, UNICEF Philippines reports that nearly half of all deaths among children under 5 are linked to malnutrition.
According to the 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), around 28.8% of Filipino children under 5 years old are stunted, indicating long-term nutritional deficiencies.
Poor nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life—from pregnancy to the child’s second birthday—is especially critical. Inadequate nourishment during this window can result in irreversible damage to a child’s physical growth, cognitive development, and academic performance later in life.
Malnourished baby: Causes
Malnutrition can occur for a variety of reasons. Some of the causes are:
Low Food Intake can cause malnourished baby
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that malnutrition is the single most dangerous threat to global public health.
They estimate that malnutrition is the leading cause of 3.1 million child deaths each year.
Malnutrition makes children more susceptible to serious illnesses.
In fact, chronic malnutrition or stunting can cause babies to grow too short for their age because they do not get enough nutrition, receive inadequate care or live in unhygienic environments.
This can have devastating and permanent impacts on a child’s physical and cognitive abilities.
Poor Maternal Health Can Cause Malnutrition in Babies
The greatest window of opportunity for a child’s health occurs in the first 1,000 days or from the beginning of a child’s pregnancy to age 2.
Mothers who are malnourished during pregnancy can experience complications during childbirth.
Many children are born small because their mothers are malnourished. Mothers with malnutrition may also have difficulty breastfeeding their babies.
Breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life has health benefits that continue into adulthood.
However, if a mother is too malnourished to breastfeed, these health benefits may not be passed on and a child may be at risk of malnutrition.
Socio-Economic Problems is also a cause of malnourished baby
Poverty is the main cause of malnutrition in developing countries.
Often, families living in poverty do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Many communities do not have a full-service grocery store that regularly stocks fresh produce.
Even if they do, fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive.
When fresh fruits and vegetables are out of reach for children, they may fill up on cheaper, less healthy foods.
Chronic malnutrition is concentrated in countries with the fewest resources, where 1 in 3 children experience stunted growth.
According to WHO data, 9 out of 10 stunted children , around 139 million children, live in low and lower middle income countries.
Digestive Disorders and Stomach Conditions
If the body does not absorb nutrients efficiently, even a healthy diet cannot prevent malnutrition.
Examples of digestive and stomach conditions that can cause this include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease , persistent diarrhea, vomiting, and more.
Malnourished baby: Symptoms
The main symptom of malnutrition is unintended weight loss, although this is not always obvious. Here are some other symptoms of malnutrition:
Weight Loss
Most malnourished babies will experience weight loss.
However, it is possible that those who are overweight may still experience malnutrition.
Decreased Appetite
Lack of interest in food and drink can be a symptom of malnutrition in babies.
Babies who lose their appetite and refuse all kinds of food may experience weight loss.
Fatigue
Malnourished babies will feel tired all the time and feel weaker.
Often Sick
Malnutrition can increase in severity if the child is affected by certain diseases or infections.
In fact, babies who are often sick can take a long time to recover.
Not only that, if you experience an injury it will also take a long time to heal.
Cognitive Decline
Malnutrition affects the development of brain function. Malnourished babies can experience poor concentration .
Weather Sensitive
Malnourished children will feel cold more often.
Mental Condition Declines Drastically
Low mood or depression can occur in babies who are malnourished. They may even experience behavioral changes, such as becoming very irritable or anxious.
See a pediatrician if your child has these symptoms. If you notice them in someone else, try to encourage them to get help.
Problems that Occur in Malnourished Children
There are various forms of malnutrition or lack of nutrition. Not only being underweight, this is the type of nutritional problem in children.
Malnutrition
There are 4 common sub-forms of malnutrition: wasting, stunting, underweight , and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Malnutrition makes children in particular much more vulnerable to disease and death.
Wasting is a condition where body weight is lower than height. It usually indicates recent and severe weight loss, because a person does not have enough food to eat or they have an infectious disease, such as diarrhea, that causes them to lose weight.
Stunting is a condition where height is low for age. It is the result of chronic or recurrent malnutrition, usually related to poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness, or inappropriate feeding and care of infants and children in early life. Stunting prevents children from reaching their physical and cognitive potential.
Wasting is a condition when children are underweight for their age. An underweight child may be stunted, thin, or both.
Meanwhile, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are children who lack vitamins and minerals.
Micronutrient related malnutrition
Deficiencies in vitamin and mineral intake, often referred to as micronutrients, can also be grouped.
Micronutrients enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances that are essential for proper growth and development.
Iodine, vitamin A, and iron are the most important in global public health terms.
Micronutrient deficiencies pose a major threat to the health and development of populations worldwide, especially children and pregnant women in low-income countries.
Overweight and obesity
Overweight and obesity is when a person is too heavy for their height.
Abnormal or excessive fat accumulation can be detrimental to health.
Body mass index (BMI) is a weight-for-height index commonly used to classify overweight and obesity.
It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters (kg/m²).
Overweight and obesity occur due to an imbalance between energy consumed (too much) and energy expended (too little).
Diet-related non-communicable diseases
Diet-related non-communicable diseases include cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks and strokes, and often associated with high blood pressure), certain cancers, and diabetes.
Unhealthy diet and poor nutrition are among the major risk factors for this disease globally.
How to overcome
Treatment for malnourished babies depends on the underlying cause and how malnourished they are.
Malnutrition in children is often caused by long-term health conditions, which require hospital treatment.
However, this does not happen to all children with malnutrition.
According to the National Health Service page, treatment may involve:
- Changes in diet, such as eating foods high in energy and nutrients
- Support for families to help them manage factors that influence children’s nutritional intake
- Treatment for any underlying medical conditions causing malnutrition
- Vitamin and mineral supplements
- High energy and protein nutritional supplements – if other treatments are not enough on their own.
Children with severe malnutrition need to be fed and rehydrated very carefully. They cannot be given a normal diet straight away.
They usually require special care in the hospital. Once they are well enough, they can gradually start eating normal food and continue this at home.
It is important that treatment is monitored regularly to ensure it is working. Weight and height measurements will be taken, and a child will be referred to specialist services if there is no improvement.
Malnourished baby: How to Prevent it from happening
The best way to prevent malnutrition is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Children need to eat a variety of foods from the main food groups, including:
- Increase fruits and vegetables
- Increase starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes, pasta
- Some dairy foods and dairy or non-dairy alternatives
- Some sources of protein, such as meat, fish, eggs and nuts.
Talk to your GP or specialist if your child has health problems that increase the risk of malnutrition.
Children may have more complex dietary needs or need to take supplements.
Those are some facts related to malnourished babies. Hopefully the number of malnutrition will soon gradually decrease, both in Indonesia and in the world.
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Republished with permission from theAsianParent Indonesia
