Diet-Related Disease in the UK - Coursework Example

Diet-Related Disease in the UK Factors influencing nutritional intake in infants and their impact on diet-related disease in the UK Quality and quantity of the consumed food constitutes the major factors that affect nutritional requirements in an individual. The digestive system efficiency in the process of food absorption is also a core element in contribution towards biochemical availability and the utilization of the eaten food. It is important for the infants to acquire nutritionally balanced diet. The exercise pattern and diet during childhood can easily differentiate between health and emergence of risky diseases (Preedy, Grimble and Watson, 2001). There are certain factors, which determine the type of food taken by an infant. Some of them are education, beliefs, and physical knowledge. This paper looks at how these factors influence nutritional intake in infants and their influence on diet-related disease in the United Kingdom. The paper attempts to portray the importance of great care when considering the best food for an infant. Education Good nutrition is an essential tool for the child growth and development that emanates in the prior years of growth. Health of infants is promoted when they fed with appropriate types of foods. Parental guidelines affect nutrient intake among infants (Keller, 2008). Parental knowledge levels on the best nutrients for infants affect the choices of food for infants. Knowledgeable parents can choose the best food for their children wisely. These parents can promote positive developments of their children. Parents who are not knowledgeable with nutrients foster negative development of children as they are unconscious of the real impact of food taken (Preedy, 2011). Education of parents on nutrients is thus important. Its importance is reflected in the food chosen. In the United Kingdom, there are various channels that are used to educate parents. For instance, though the internet, parents can develop and expand their knowledge on nutrients. Hospitals have also played a big role in the education of parents. During clinical visits for pregnant parents, healthcare professionals educate women on the best food for them and their young once during and before birth. Hospitals also give them brochures, which describe the nutrient quality and quantity of food. Social media like the radio and the television have also been routes where parents can access important information on nutrients. Through these and other channels, education on nutrients has been highly spread in the United Kingdom. Today, many parents are conscious of the nutrients needs for their infants (London, 2011). They thus apply their knowledge to avoid a number of diet-related diseases. The illnesses in most children usually originate from the wrong nutritional intake. During the early years, an infant should be allowed to breast-feed to the required standards in order to avoid the dangerous and unoriginal formula milk. Formula milk and other synthetic foods have proven to be detrimental to the child life hence it is imperative for a caring mother to study factors influencing nutrient intake of an infant and taking necessary action. However, parents knowledgeable on nutrients can ensure that their infants are not harmed. They thus ensure that they follow correct information on the needs of infants. Due to the high number of parents with knowledge on nutrients, there has been the reduction of diet-related diseases among infants. For instance, rickets in England was eliminated 30 years ago when parents started giving their small children, calcium rich food. The disease was an epidemic disease in the 19th and 20th century, which killed many children. Education has thus encouraged consumption of nutrients rich food among small children. Physical Knowledge The provision of food varieties allows the infant to make choices of the food they like from the big range of foods. The determinant factors in this variation could be colours and texture to assist in appetite satisfaction. The most important factor in regard to child food choice is to satisfy the ever-demanding energy needs in the growing infant, which requires food variation. However, infants are influenced to choose certain food over others by certain factors. The infant’s food intake has a direct influence from the peers and the overall family-eating pattern (Brown and Isaacs, 2011). However, infants can develop their tests base on their likings. When parents give infants a chance to decide on the food, they tend to pick food full of sugar and fats. They are not concerned with the impact of their choices on their health. In the past, obesity was the problem of adults. It was relevant among people advanced in age. However, small children, even under the age of two years are now among the obese people in the United Kingdom. In a health survey done in 2010, 30.3 percent of children aged between 2 years and 15 years were obese. Infants not fed under the World Health Organization’s standards were found to have growth faltering early in their lives. Rapid weight gain among infants leads later to obesity. Infants who consumed fatty and sugary food develop weights that led to obesity. These children were those given freedom to choose to the type of food to consume. Others were those whose parents lacked nutrients consciousness (Wong, Hockenberry and Wilson, 2011). Therefore, children ought to be guided to choose the right food. Beliefs Beliefs are the foundation of most actions. People are encouraged to act in a particular way because of their world views, which give them the concepts of right and wrong. Beliefs can be religious, individual, or societal. Despite the difference, beliefs have the same level of influence on an individual virtually. In the health sectors, people have been known to design their behaviors or actions according to their belief system, which eventually lead to health issues. Seven-Day Adventists (SDA) is a Christian organization, which apart from spreading Christianity like other Christian organization, spreads health messages. The organization is known for its religious doctrines against consumption of animal flesh. Even though, it does not usually forbid against all types or complete disassociation of its members with meat eating; most Seven-Day Adventists are vegetarians. SDA’s religious doctrines have their advantages. In several researches, Seven-Day Adventists have been found to have few cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and obesity than non-Seven-Day Adventists. However, most SDA’s religious doctrines are based on age range and some other factors. Infants and pregnant women are not expected to follow the vegetarian diets perfectly has they require several minerals in their bodies. However, due to the formed beliefs on the correct food, some people are prone to applying the doctrines in all sectors of their lives. In 2012, Mr. and Mrs. Kanene, UK’s citizens from Mozambique were judged over the death of the five months old boy called Ndingeko. Before his death, the boy had an acute rickets due deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphorus. The two couples were believed to be Seven-Day Adventists has they had only fed their small boy with vegetables. Despite the above-stated case, Seven-Day Adventist religious doctrines have also influenced good health among infants. Due to the uncommon consumption of mean among the SDAs, obesity has been reduced obesity for infants of SDAs parents. Parents are encouraged to use certain products to avoid the case of Ndingeko. Again, the use of food with high fiber for infants who can eat solid food has reduced intestinal among small children of observant of the doctrines. High fiber aid in digestion, an infant do not thus develop a problem like bloat. Furthermore, the use of soy infant formulas for post-term infants, which the church encourages, reduce non-cancerous uterine fibroids later in life. Again, it helps children cognitive levels for infants. Therefore, belief has an infant on the choice of food for an infant and consequently on the health status of an infant and later in its life (Samour and King, 2012). Conclusion There are many issues that influence the choice of food items for infants. Parents with nutrients knowledge can choose the kind of food for their infants wisely. They prepare food according to the needs and requirement of their infants and thus helping their children to develop well. When infants are left to choose food for themselves, they tend to chose fatty and sugary food, which eventually affect them negatively. Due to the consumption of fatty and sugary food, they are prone to disease like heart disease and obesity. Belief system can also influence the type of food consumed by an infant and consequently on its healthy. For instance, due to their belief, Mr. and Mrs Kanene gave their five-month-old son vegetative diet thus causes his death from rickets. There are many issues that influence the choice of food for infants. However, due to the real impact of food consumed care must be taken when considering the best food for an infant. References Brown, J. and Isaacs, J. (2011). Nutrition through the life cycle. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, CENGAGE Learning. London, M. (2011). Maternal & child nursing care. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education. Keller, K. (2008). Encyclopedia of obesity. Thousand Oaks, Sage. Preedy, V. (2011). Diet and nutrition in palliative care. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Preedy, V. R., Grimble, G., and Watson, R. R. (2001). Nutrition in the infant: problems and practical procedures. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Samour, P. and King, K. (2012). Pediatric nutrition. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Wong, D. L., Hockenberry, M. J., and Wilson, D. (2011). Wong's nursing care of infants and children. St. Louis, Mo, Mosby/Elsevier. Read More