The Importance of Proper Nutrition - Coursework Example

The Importance of Proper Nutrition: Its Link to Good Health With the expanding global population, the question is often posed as to whether the worldwill be able to feed itself in the near future. We are already in a world wide crisis of food shortages, hunger, and famine as the weather, politics, and social upheaval prevents many of worlds people from getting the proper nutrition they require on a daily basis. Like air and water, food is a necessity and there is a basic human right to having a minimal amount of to remain healthy and productive. Often, the problems associated with malnutrition and hunger stem from a problem with distribution, as governments or warring factions prevent the food from getting to the places that it is needed. In the industrialized countries, poor nutrition may come as the result of economics and the unfair distribution of wealth, or simply a lack of good dietary habits. According to Palmer (2009) no country is immune from malnutrition, and "the plain truth is that many – perhaps most - Americans dont eat enough nutritious foods to meet nutrient needs" (p.4). In general, poor nutrition affects children the most as their growing bodies are unable to form properly if not fed a proper diet. Poor nutrition affects their brains, ability to learn, and alters their behavior. For others, poor nutrition results in obesity, as they consume diets that are rich in fat, carbohydrates, and empty calories while being low in the essential vitamins and minerals the body requires. No matter what the reason, there is a worldwide crisis concerning poor nutrition that has resulted in pockets of famine coexisting with nations plagued by obesity and malnutrition. Nutrition is integrally linked to good health. Poor health may make it difficult to physically compete for a healthy diet, or the body may be unable to utilize the nutrition that it is provided with. Poor nutrition will naturally lead to poor health and this can begin a cycle of hunger and poverty as the body spirals downward. The global problem has reached crisis proportions and "this year some 900 million people--including 178 million children under 5--are suffering from malnutrition, estimates the United Nations; every day 50,000 starve to death" (Begley, 2008). The problem affects all countries on the planet, and is not isolated to the third world countries and developing nations. In the US, poor diet is one of the leading causes of death and is responsible for as many as a half a million deaths annually (Bendich and Deckelbaum, 2005, p.5). In addition these poor nutritional habits contribute to low birth rate, stunting in children, misdistribution of fat, anemia, and diabetes (Wahlqvist and Lee, 2006, p.158). The health effects of poor nutrition are also impacted by income and education level, and some countries are facing an obesity problem accompanied with its attendant health effects. According to Popkin and Doak (1998), "we now face the emergence of obesity as a worldwide phenomenon, affecting wealthy and middle-income countries, as well as residents of countries previously considered to be poor" (p.106). Obesity has become a major focus of public health in the US during the last decade, and has also become a problem in countries such as Russia, the Western Pacific, Brazil, and China, where a shift in dietary habits have seen an "increase in the consumption of vegetable oils, a shift away from coarser grains to more refined ones, and a shift towards a more diverse diet that includes more meats and eggs" (Popkin and Doak, 1998, p.111). While many parts of the world are suffering the ill effects of poor nutrition due to a lack of food, other areas are being impacted by the over-consumption of high calories, and low nutrition processed foods. Children suffer the most from poor nutrition as their developing brains and bodies require proper nutrition from conception through adulthood. "Studies have shown, for example, that poverty affects pregnant womens nutritional status by reducing income available for food and failing to insure that fetuses receive the nutrition essential to normal brain development" (Bridgman and Phillips, 1998, p.12). This food deficit will further lead to developmental deficiencies after the child is born and "deficits in brain growth and central nervous system development resulting from early malnutrition can compromise early learning (Bridgman and Phillips, 1998, p.12). These early setbacks will continue to burden the child into adulthood, as they are beset with a poor economic outlook due to poor health. The issue has gained worldwide focus as the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for "comprehensive national policies on infant and young-child feeding, including guidelines on ensuring appropriate feeding of infants and young children in exceptionally difficult circumstances" (World Health Organization, 2003, p.28). Reaching women during early pregnancy and addressing the problem of child malnutrition are the early interventions that are needed to confront this global health issue. Income is a significant predictor of the impact that poor nutrition has on the health of children. Worldwide, many countries are experiencing famine due to poverty and the inability to gain access to proper food. Studies and data have consistently shown that "socioeconomic inequality in malnutrition is present throughout the developing world" and that "the better-off suffer less from malnutrition" (Van de Poel, Hosseinpoor, Speybroeck, Van Ourti, and Vega, 2008, p.286). However, the problem is not limited to the developing world, as poverty is linked to poor nutrition even in the industrialized nations. In the US, "food insecurity was a significant mediator of the increased odds of poor child health among immigrants who had been in the United States for 0-5 years" (Chilton et al., 2009, p.559). As these immigrants were assimilated into society, there economic security improved and their access to nutritional also improved, resulting in healthier children. Van de Poel et al. (2008) further note that "disparities in health outcomes between the poor and the rich are increasingly attracting attention from researchers and policy makers" (p.282). The affordable access to food is one of the major obstacles that stand in the way of solving the worlds health problems brought on by poor nutrition. The problem of poor nutrition and its relationship to health is impacted by income, geography, as well as the education and the culture of the society. Research has shown that the social environment is a leading indicator of proper nutrition. As part of a nutritious diet, most experts have recommended eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day (Luszczynska and Cieslak, 2009, p.30). According to Harvard University nutritionists, "adding more plant foods is one of the best changes you can make" (Snapshot of the American diet, 2009, p.3). In the US there is a culture of fast food and high fat content, with children who are raised in an environment where they are forced to eat broccoli. However, society and culture can play a role in developing good eating habits. Research has shown that "among families diagnosed with a life threatening disease (related to nutrition habits), those who provide social support to patients start eating more FV [fruits and vegetables]" (Luszczynska and Cieslak, 2009, p.31). In essence, the evidence indicates that myriad factors impact a persons decision in regards to their diet. Income, culture, social interaction, geographical location, and education all have a significant effect on the worldwide problem of poor nutrition. An important factor that links nutrition and health is the isolated pockets it occurs in and its effect on regional politics and policies. Many parts of Africa are subject to malnutrition and also face political violence. According to Nube and Sonneveld (2005), "there are large numbers of undernourished children on both sides of the borders between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania" (p.767). These are the same areas that have been subjected to years of civil war, genocide, and tribal violence. Poor nutrition contributes to the problem, as the population is powerless to resist the warring factions, who are in a position to direct global food aid to their own purposes. In many of these areas, the prevalence of underweight children is as high as 30 percent (Nube and Sonneveld, 2005, p.767). In addition, changing weather patterns has further complicated the problem. In West Africa there is a strong relationship with "agronomic and climatic conditions in the region, characterized by decreasing rainfall from the coastal to the Sahelian region" (Nube and Sonneveld, 2005, p.768). This shows a clear relationship between the climate, nutrition, health, and the ongoing violence that continues, as factions fight over the availability of scarce resources. The worldwide costs of malnutrition, and the resultant poor health, are enormous. The direct costs in Africa alone has been billions of dollars in the last 50 years, "but has little to show for it" (Loewenberg, 2006, p.1476). In addition to the economic costs of food aid and health care, there is the human suffering. Children suffering from malnutrition have a diminished capacity to learn as the brain is stunted during a critical phase of development. In addition, these children will face a life of poor health and will become an additional cost to the already strained health care systems around the world. In Niger, the link between the cycle of poverty, nutrition, and health is readily apparent. Unlike other areas where poor nutrition comes as a result of war, Niger is burdened by extreme poverty. Health care is unobtainable, and the people spend nearly all their waking hours seeking small amounts of subsistence food. The result is that over half the girls in the country get no schooling and have a literacy rate of less than 10 percent (Loewenberg, 2006, p.1476). This locks the people into a cycle of poverty, poor education, and poor health due to poor nutrition. According to Apodaca (2008), "poor nutrition decreases educational opportunities and physical productivity, thereby reducing the childs future potential earning power" (p.21). Many of the children, growing up in poverty stricken areas where famine and malnutrition is widespread, will need to depend on manual labor for their future subsistence. They will suffer a "reduced prosperity due to malnutrition [and] will be less able to provide for their children (Apodaca, 2008, p.22). The problem of poor health and malnutrition becomes an inter-generational problem that is passed down from parents to the children. There is also the loss of creativity that occurs when the world loses a large percentage of the population to childhood hunger and malnutrition. The issue of malnutrition and world health has reached greater importance as organizations reach out to offer solutions to the problem. Experts have noted that the financial cost of addressing the problem is easily compensated in future savings. It has been reported that as many as half of all patients admitted to hospitals are suffering from malnutrition, and that it also increases the length of stay and morbidity (De Luis et al., 2006, p.394). Yet, there may be cost effective solutions to this problem, and a way to save health care costs. Sue Horton, vice president of academics at Laurier University reports that, "It would cost $60 million a year to provide vitamin A capsules and zinc supplements to 140 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The economic benefits from lower mortality and better health would total $1 billion" (cited in Collier, 2008, p.226). In the face of war and inadequate distribution networks for food, specialized foods for children have reached greater importance. During the 2008 Copenhagen Consensus, micronutrient supplements for children was listed as the number one solution with the greatest cost benefit outcomes (Collier, 2008, p. 226). Getting these nutrients into the hands of the people that need them most may be one of the biggest challenges facing the world in the 21st century. In conclusion, malnutrition and the associated health problems are responsible for untold human suffering around the world. Tens of thousands of people perish each day from hunger and many more live with a poor health prognosis. The problem is not restricted to the developing nations or areas that are wracked by poverty and war. In the US, and other industrialized countries, the problem of poor nutrition comes in the form of obesity due to poor dietary habits. Still, the biggest problem affects the children of the world who are born into poverty and have no escape from the cycle of hunger. They will be burdened with a life of inadequate education, low productivity, and a poor economic outlook. These problems will be passed onto the next generation, as they will become parents who are unable to feed their children a healthy diet. Health care costs will escalate as a majority of patients are suffering from malnutrition and a reduced ability to maintain good health. Still, there are solutions on the horizon, Micronutrients, vitamins, and mineral supplements distributed to the worlds neediest children could save the world billions of dollars. However, these assets need to get into the proper hands to be of any value. In many areas, such as Africa, food distribution is problematic as warring parties disrupt the supply and corruption reduces its availability. Proper nutrition and good health go hand in hand and begin at conception. Fighting the problem of global malnourishment will require more than just throwing billions of dollars of aid at the problem. It will require creative solutions to the problem of nourishment and the political will to see that all children have an equal and fair access to an adequate diet in the 21st century. References Apodaca, C. (2008). Preventing child nutrition: Health and agriculture as determinants of child malnutrition. Journal of Children and Poverty, 14(10), 21-40. Begley, S. (2009, 29/9). Feeding the 900 million: Let them eat micronutrients. Newsweek, 152. Bendich, A., & Deckelbaum, R. (2005). Preventive nutrition: The comprehensive guide for health professionals. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. Bridgman, A., & Phillips, D. (1998). New findings on poverty and child health and nutrition: Summary of a research briefing. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Chilton, M. et al. (2009). Food insecurity and risk of poor health among US-born children of immigrants. Research and Practice, 99(3), 556-562. Collier, R. (2008). Ranking solutions to global problems. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 179(3), 226. De Luis et al., D. (2006). Nutritional assessment: Predictive variables at hospital admission related with length of stay. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 50(4), 394-398. Loewenberg, S. (2006). Million in Niger facing food shortages once again. The Lancet, 367(9521), 1474-1476. Luszczynska, A., & Cieslak, R. (2009). Mediated effects of social support for healthy nutrition: Fruit and vegetable intake across 8 months after myocardial infraction. Behavioral Medicine, 35(1), 30-38. Nube, M., & Sonneveld, B. (2005). The geographical distribution of underweight children in Africa. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 83(10), 764-770. Palmer, S. (2009). Keys to good health: Why whole foods have the edge over supplements. Environmental Nutrition, 32, 1-4. Popkin, B., & Doak, C. (1998). The obesity epidemic is a worldwide phenomenon. Nutrition Reviews, 56(4), 106-114. Snapshot of the American diet: Foods out of balance. (2009). Harvard Heart Letter, 19(7), 3-3. Van de Poel, E., Hosseinpoor, A., Speybroeck, N., Van Ourti, T., & Vega, J. (2008). Socioeconomic inequality in malnutrition in developing countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 86(4), 82-91. Wahlqvist, M., & Lee, M. (2006). Nutrition in health care practice. Journal of Medical Science, 26(5), 157-164. World Health Organization. (2003). Global strategy for infant and young child feeding. Geneva: WHO. Read More