Nutritional deficiencies in children can have significant impacts on their growth, development, and overall health. The effects can vary depending on the specific nutrient that is deficient. It’s important to note that many of these deficiencies can have long-term consequences if not addressed promptly. Proper nutrition is crucial for the overall well-being of children, and a balanced diet that includes a variety of foods is key to preventing nutritional deficiencies. If there are concerns about a child’s nutrition, FOCUS is here to help and support.
As per World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, good nutrition is essential for survival, physical growth, mental development, performance, productivity, health and well-being across the entire life-span: from the earliest stages of fetal development, at birth, and through infancy, childhood, adolescence and on into adulthood. Improved health outcomes in young children have long-lasting health effects throughout the life- span, including increased performance and productivity, and reduced risk of certain non- communicable diseases.
With this background, and with the primary aim to understand the nutritional pattern of young school going girls, multiple camps were organized and conducted at various schools and in different strata of the society. The felt need to study the nutritional pattern of young girls was due to the fact that these young girls when they grow up in young adults, get married and produce offspring/s, many challenges come across. These issues are:
1. Essential vitamin and micronutrient as well as macronutrient deficiencies reduce immunity and make them more prone to contracting infections of the reproductive system.
2. Improper hygiene also leads to asymptomatic or undiagnosed chronic infections and increases risk of cancer in later age, of the reproductive system.
3. Once these girls conceive, these nutritional deficiencies make the offspring’s more prone to birth defects, especially spina bifida which occurs due to folic acid deficiency in the mother.
4. The infections harbored in the reproductive system are transferred to the newborn baby who could suffer from many different diseases affecting major organs in the body such as liver, brain, kidneys, etc.
In order to detect nutritional deficiencies, NUTRITIONAL REHABILITATION camps have been done in several schools such as Childrens’ Academy (Malad), Municipal school in Worli, etc. The team was composed of Directors of FOCUS, pharmacists, volunteers and dietitians. Multiple parameters wwere assessed by our team in these camps.
The response to such camps has been very rewarding wherein faulty diet had been identified in almost 80% of the children assessed. Some of these children had obesity as an underlying condition due to faulty eating habits.
The importance of good health was emphasized to each young girl with regards to their future role as a mother.
The camps have been well appreciated by the school management, as well as the young girls themselves.
