By IJEOMA UKAZU
With poor nutrition been responsible for about 45 percent of all child deaths in Nigeria, a nutrition expert has said more attention on child nutrition is needed to combat the scourge.
Making this known during her presentation at a two-day media dialogue holding in Enugu, UNICEF Nutrition Officer, Nkeiru Enwelum, said that poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception of a child to two years of age results in permanent damage.
Stating the consequences of poor nutrition, she said “It could lead to premature death; lost productivity and increased healthcare costs; risk of diabetes; cancer; stroke; hypertension and non communicable diseases.”
She said that, the consequences of malnutrition can also lead to impaired brain development and lower IQ, low birth weight, weakened by immune system leading to increased risk of infectious diseases.
Prevention as the best buy of malnutrition, she said that it cost only 15 USD (6,000) to prevent malnutrition through the deliver of high impact nutrition interventions.
According to the UNICEF Nutrition Officer, “It cost about 120 USD ( approximately 60,000) to treat malnutrition through Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (8 times the coat of prevention).
Enwelum warns that failure to prevent and treat malnutrition can result in: Long term cognitive and growth impacts and loss of income for households and up to 15 percent Gross Domestic Product, GDP loss for Nigeria as well as Increase morbidity and potential death.
Under the forms of malnutrition in children, she states that they include: wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies which is often referred as hidden hunger. Stating that, “It includes iron deficiency which causes anaemia and tiredness/weakness, vitamin A deficiency which causes a type of blindness and calcium deficiency that causes weak bones.”
While highlighting some of the benefits of good nutrition, UNICEF Nutrition Officer said that, it improves school completion by one year, it raises adult wages by 5 to 50 percent, children who escape stunting are 33 percent more likely to escape poverty as adults earnings.
On the economy, she said “Reduction in stunting can increase the Gross Domestic Product, GDP by 4 to 11 percent in Asia and Africa. For health -3.3 million child deaths annually attributed to malnutrition, 45 of total number of deaths.”
To improve child nutrition, she suggests that government should target Infant and Young Child Feeding, maternal and adolescent nutrition and social and behavioural change.
Also speaking at the event, a lecturer of Mass Communication at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu, Dr. Chidi Ezinwa said that for the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, cannot be realized without the fulfillment of the Rights of children.
Ezinwa adds that, these Rights of the child are hinged on four baskets namely:
Survival Rights, Protection Rights, Participation Rights and Development Rights.
And in all of these Rights, the expert, said “Children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights.
“Childhood is separate from adulthood, and lasts until 18 years. It is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity.”