By IJEOMA UKAZU
Maternal nutrition plays an important role in placental-fetal growth and development. In pregnancy, a mother’s diet and pre-pregnancy stores are the sole source of nutrition for a growing foetus, highlighting the importance of eating well during this stage.
Experts say, there are nutrients of particular importance – (protein, zinc, iodine and folate) during the first 1,000 days – (the time spanning roughly between conception and a child’s second birthday), is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations of optimum health, growth, and neurodevelopment across the lifespan are established.
Nutritionists revealed that, malnutrition among adolescents is marked by undernutrition (stunting and thinness/underweight), over nutrition (overweight and obesity) and micronutrient deficiencies.
The World Health Organization, WHO defines ‘Adolescents’ as individuals in the 10-19 years age group; while adolescence is a critical period in life and a window of opportunity for lifelong health and well-being.
In a combined report by the NPC and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, ICF 2019, also known as ICF- Dietetics said, iron deficiency disorders affect more than 60 percent Nigerian adolescent girls aged 15-19 years.
Other available evidence shows that vitamin A, zinc and iodine deficiencies are public health problems among children less than 19 years in Nigeria and three other African countries amongst others.
According to a World Bank 2018 report, 44 percent of adolescent girls are married before 18 years of age in Nigeria. While a 2016/17 Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS states that, the adolescent fertility rate is 120 /1000 and at least 31 percent of adolescents have at least one live birth.
Also, a 2019 NPC and ICF report states that, there is a growing epidemic of teenage pregnancy with one out of every five (19.2 percent) adolescents getting pregnant, pointing that, the risk of malnutrition among such pregnant adolescent increases and so is the risk of morbidity, mortality and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Medical experts has linked maternal undernutrition during pregnancy to result in Intrauterine Growth Restriction, IUGR which is associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality resulting in these children having an increased risk for development of metabolic syndrome in adult life.
Lamenting, the President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Wasiu Afolabi, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Agriculture
Abeokuta, Ogun State said that, this increasing menace of adolescent pregnancy provides a breeding ground for future childhood malnutrition with its attendant consequences on intelligence, productivity, morbidity including diet related non communicable diseases in adult life and childhood mortality.
Afolabi pointed that, although the dearth of nationally representative data for adolescent nutrition status makes generalization difficult, noting that, evidence from sparse research showed that, underweight/thinness ranged from 13.0 to 23.1 percent (Southern part of Nigeria, 2012).
He said, the review of trends from 2003 to 2013 showed a gradual increase of thinness/underweight and obesity among female adolescents aged 15 to19 years at 18 percent and 13 percent respectively.
The nutrition expert said, this could be attributed to poor nutrition knowledge and diet quality, low dietary diversity, high consumption of junk food, and inadequate consumption of animal foods and sedentary lifestyle, more so, this is occasioned by lack of recreational facilities, eroding school sport activities, and increasing screen time activities in this age group.
Afolabi linked this to inadequate policy and lack of strategic direction to properly address the nutrition needs of adolescents has compounded the hydra-headed challenge of poor nutrition among adolescents in Nigeria.
According to him, “Most of the policy documents contain fragments of nutrition interventions for the adolescent but Nigeria does not have a policy that
accurately situates adolescent nutrition as a key issue of top priority to us. Moreover, most of the nutrition programme are being implemented in an uncoordinated manner.
“Parallel and vertical programming by both government and partners had led to drain in resources without tangible results in adolescent nutrition, Added to this is the paucity of data and researches on the nutritional status of adolescents as most of the data on adolescent nutrition relate only to female adolescent of reproductive age.”
Window of Opportunity
In view of the foregoing, the Nutrition Society of Nigeria believes that, addressing the nutrition needs of adolescents could be a window of opportunity for the improvement of their nutritional status and correcting their poor nutritional practices; reverse growth faltering experienced during childhood.
They said, it is also an important step towards supporting their physical growth and preventing future health problems, breaking the vicious cycle
of intergenerational malnutrition, chronic diseases and poverty.
Also, they further added that, investment in advancing adolescent nutrition is critical to promoting their health and development which has lifelong implications in order to secure them and their future families, communities and nation at large.
The Nutrition Society of Nigeria therefore calls for urgent actions by government, development partners, private sectors and other stakeholders to bridge the identified policy and data gaps, enhance coordination and increase delivery platforms to reach adolescents with a minimum package of nutrition interventions giving special consideration.
Global Goal
According to a 2021 Joint Child Malnutrition Estimate, JME, there is a need for more intensive efforts, if the world is to achieve global targets of reducing the number of children with stunting to 104 million by 2025 and to 87 million by 2030.
Meanwhile, achieving the overweight goal would require a reversal of the current trajectory. Although malnutrition can manifest in multiple ways, the path to prevention is virtually identical: adequate maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy and while breastfeeding; optimal breastfeeding in the first two years of lifw; nutritious, diverse and safe foods in early childhood; and a healthy environment, including access to basic health, water, hygiene and sanitation services and
opportunities for safe physical activity.
Many of these vital pathways to good nutrition are under threat – including due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and have the potential to undermine progress towards ending malnutrition in all its forms.
As the world responds to and recovers from the pandemic, urgent action is critical to protect maternal and child nutrition, especially in the most affected region, and secure a future where the right to nutrition is a reality for every child.