First 1000 Day Forum

First 1000 Day Forum

First 1000 Day Forum

by Ma Abegail Aguila -
Number of replies: 0

     As a child, it is important that good health and proper nutrition are already fostered to pave the way for a better and more functional life as they grow up. Their parents have the most vital role in instilling a healthy lifestyle because this will  serve as a foundation for healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge that they will carry with them into adulthood. In fact, the first 1,000 days of a child are regarded as a critical window of opportunity in shaping a child’s development. The interplaying roles of a child’s stable and responsive relationships with the caregiver, a good nutrition, and a safe and nurturing environment will help in the development of a child’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive health. The absence of one of these will result in loss of opportunities that are in every child’s birthright (Think Babies, n.d.). 

     According to the data of UNICEF (2021), at least one in three under five children suffers from stunting, wasting, and being overweight due to malnutrition. Stunted children are too short for their age and may lose the ability to develop to their full cognitive potential, which has an effect on their ability to contribute to society. Meanwhile, children affected by wasting have thin bodies and weakened immune systems, thus, increasing their risk for death. The number of overweight children has been escalating due to the consumption of processed foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. On the other hand, hidden hunger also occurs due to children’s insufficient consumption of the essential vitamins and micronutrients. As mentioned by Hind Rise (n.d.)., common problems resulting from a lack of nutrition for children include: 1) higher intake of sugars in children that can displace essential macro and micronutrients, thereby increasing the risk of nutrient deficiencies; 2) protein-energy malnutrition that can hamper brain, immune system and intestinal mucosal functions; 3) insufficient intake of fats that affects development of nervous system myelination in younger children less than two years of age; 4) inadequate calcium intake that hampers bone development; 5) Iron deficiency among children that is associated with anemia and neurocognitive deficits; 6) Vitamin A deficiency that affects the maintenance of epithelial tissues’ integrity and resistance against common infections; and 7) deficiency of vitamin D that can cause rickets, and other severe deficiency can lead to hypocalcemic seizures.

     It is indeed saddening when people fail to realize that it is far more effective and less hassle to provide a child with proper nutrition in the first place, rather than depending on replacement therapy once deficits have occured. Timing is crucial in a child’s development and it might be hard, and even impossible, to try and retrieve all the lost functions once we become too late. However, it is more saddening to think that this problem also stems from factors like poverty and the poor healthcare system. It is unfair to think that health can never be inclusive because people from the lower class will always be deprived of the best quality of health. The socioeconomic divide is becoming more evident to the mothers who are equipped with financial capability to provide their child with the required nutrition and healthy living environment compared to those mothers who can only provide what they can afford. With these, I think it is also our responsibility as future nurses to recognize and address these needs. We must help them in all ways and advocate for a better healthcare system that is inclusive to all and empowering to the mothers who strive to provide a better quality of life for their children. 

 

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