Don’t Let Them Become Just Another Statistic
Today, more and more Malaysians are dying due to “diet-related” lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and certain cancers. Those who suffer from these dreadful diseases are also getting younger and younger.
To break this vicious trend, we must look at the nutritional requirements and lifestyles of our children. There is an urgent need to improve their nutritional status, inculcate healthy eating habits and encourage a healthy lifestyle where physical activity is favoured.
You need to take action now. Failure to do so can affect your children’s health, growth and development. Our children are our future, but their future lies in your hands. And it starts now
| Food For Thought |
|---|
|
Studies conducted in 1996 and 2006 by the Ministry of Health on Malaysian adults revealed that:
Another report released last year by the MOH revealed that as much as 15% of Malaysian children aged 1-18 were either undernourished or overnourished. Looking at both studies, what can we say about the future of our children? |
Good Nutrition Is Every Child’s Right
The formative years of 1-6 are the most important time in any child’s life. It is thus imperative that parents start providing good nutrition to children right from birth to promote optimum health, growth and development (see box-up on the side).
Dr Tee E Siong, the President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, in emphasising this point, adds on to say that parents should realise that there is only a small window of opportunity open to them during this period to start feeding their children right.
“Don’t wait. Make time today to ensure the nutritional needs of your children are met,” says Dr Tee, adding that there was a pressing need for a varied, balanced diet and that parents should know what types of foods to provide in the appropriate amounts.
Dr Tee says the importance of child nutrition was underlined in this year’s Nutrition Month Malaysia (NMM) initiative, which carried the theme “Healthy Children, Healthier Nation.” The annual nutrition education programme, held every April since 2002, is organised by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, the Malaysian Dietitians’ Association and the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity.
“We realise that child nutrition is extremely important, and this is why Nutrition Month Malaysia will focus on children in three different age groups from this year until 2010.”
| Growth During The Formative Years |
|---|
|
During the ages of 1-6:
∗ The immune system matures |
The Facts & Figures
The Third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS III) by the Ministry of Health was conducted nationwide in 2006 on 22,032 children aged between 0 and 18 years. The findings, released in 2008, revealed that:
- 13.2% of children were underweight!
- 15.8% of children were stunted!
- 5.4% of children were overweight!
“Let’s Talk Kids!”
Dr Tee E Siong discusses the NHMS III with Positive Parenting.
Q: What is malnutrition?
A: Children’s bodies require a range of essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and calcium. Malnutrition occurs when the body gets too much or too little of these nutrients, which then leads to health problems.
Q: The NHMS III states that a total of 5.4% of children were overweight. Is this a major problem?
A: Yes. This figure is sufficient cause for concern. Other studies have also indicated a higher prevalence of obesity, mainly in urbanised areas. Although it is only 5.4%, parents should not take this figure lightly, but instead take measures to ensure their children do not add to it.
Q: In general, there’s an abundance of food here, yet as much as 13.2% children were found to be underweight. Why this figure?
A: The NHMS III revealed that the underweight problem not only occurred in rural areas, but also in urban centres. This shows that the underweight problem is not due to a lack of food, but poor feeding practices in both urban and rural communities. Many parents do not provide a balanced, varied diet and do not ensure regular meals. As a result, their children do not get enough nutrients to grow normally and healthily.
Q: What are positive steps parents can take today to make sure their children eat right?
A: Well, the first thing to do is to be well-informed about child nutritional needs and how to feed them right. For this, make greater efforts to find reliable, accurate information from health experts and websites. Next, conscientiously put into practice what you have learned. Plan your food purchases and meals, and take charge of what your child eats everyday.
Malnutrition Can Kill
Nutrition has a direct relationship to health, and when malnutrition occurs, children can die. According to a study of under-five deaths in Malaysia by the Ministry of Health in 2006, malnutrition was the third most common co-morbid condition.
Dr Hussain Imam Muhammad Ismail, the Head of the Paediatric Department of Hospital Kuala Lumpur, says that the study showed that 195 children under-five, or 19.8%, succumbed to malnutrition in that one year.
“Clinically, malnutrition is characterised by an inadequate or excess intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients such as vitamins, as well as the frequent infections and disorders that result,” he says, adding that malnutrition occurs both in under-nourished as well as overweight and obese children. In both its forms, malnutrition increases the risk of disease and early death.
Dr Hussain says that for example, protein-energy malnutrition in underweight children plays a major role in half of all under-five deaths each year in developing countries. “Vitamin A deficiency, as another example, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases the risk of death and disease from severe infections.”
On the other end of the malnutrition scale is overweight and obesity. These occur when children consume too much calories (over-nutrition) and don’t get sufficient physical activity. Dr Hussain says that overweight and obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and develop non communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension at a much younger age.
“It’s no wonder that childhood obesity is associated with a higher risk of premature death and disability in adulthood,” he says, adding that for most obesity-based NCDs, the risks depend partly on the age of onset and on the duration of obesity.
| Did You Know? |
|---|
|
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 22 million children under the age of 5 were overweight throughout the world in 2007, with more than 75% of overweight and obese children living in lowand middle-income countries. |
Don’t Wait, Start Today!
It’s not difficult to provide children the right foods in the proper amounts, says nutritionist Associate Professor Dr Norimah Karim.
“All you need to remember is Variety, Balance and Moderation,” she says. “If you’re busy with work or other responsibilities, you can make these three fundamental aspects of good child nutrition a part of your daily life by adopting a few simple steps (see box-up).”
Remember Variety, Balance And Moderation!
- Provide a Variety of food
“Little bodies have multiple needs and require various essential nutrients. The types and amounts of nutrients differ from food to food, so be sure to add variety to their diet.” - Ensure Balanced meals
“Your children’s diet should comprise a balanced mix of complex carbohydrate foods (eg rice, noodles and cereals), fruits and veggies (for vitamins and minerals), protein-rich foods (eg poultry, meat, fish and eggs) and milk and dairy products (calcium and other vitamins and minerals).” - Feed in Moderation
“Too little or too much food results in health issues, so teach your children to eat moderately from young. It’s also important they eat regular meals, don’t skip meals and don’t overeat.”
| Busy, Busy Mum! |
|---|
|
If you’re too busy with work to provide your children good nutrition, here’s what you can do:
|
Eating Together Creates Happy Families
For healthy eating to be effective, you have to make its principles a part of your family’s lifestyle, says Dr Anjli Doshi-Gandhi, the Deputy Director General of the Family Development, National Population and Family Development Board of Malaysia.
She says that one such way to do so is to eat together. This not only brings everyone in the family closer, but offers many other positive benefits, including allowing you to focus on your children and spend quality time with them.
“By eating together, you can also make good food choices for your young ones and instil the right attitudes and habits of eating,” she says, adding that parents should also make every effort to inculcate good eating habits in children from an early age.
Eating together makes you more sensitive to your children’s problems, says Puan Norsheila Abdullah, the President of the Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia.
“Family mealtimes make you more aware of your children’s moods,” she says. “If your young ones are depressed or sad about something, you are in a position to do something about it.”
Puan Norsheila also adds that since children are influenced and look up to their parents, it’s always wise for you to make the right food choices and practise healthy eating habits.
“For instance, if you eat in front of the television or keep irregular meal hours, it’s a good bet that your children will emulate your behaviour,” she says. “Your children will think that if mummy or daddy is doing it, I can do it, too!”
Nutrition Knowledge is Essential
All parents want to provide the best for their children, but when it comes to good nutrition, not many know where or when to start, says Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, the Immediate Past President of the Malaysian Paediatric Association & Chairman of the Positive Parenting Management Committee.
“Providing good nutrition and inculcating healthy eating habits do not come naturally to many parents,” he says. “That is why there is a need for them to make an effort to learn about nutrition for the benefit of their children.”
Datuk Dr Zulkifli also says that many parents do not have the time to pay attention to their children’s foods or eating habits, adding that it would become harder for parents to change unhealthy eating patterns once their children move past the formative years.
Datuk Dr Zulkifli says the Positive Parenting programme, as well as the Nutrition Month Malaysia initiative, function as a starting point, adding that these programmes provide expert knowledge, information and advice that will enable parents to give their children optimum nutrition.
Parents should also explore other avenues, including the Ministry of Health and local or international authoritative websites run by professional health organisations. “You must take the trouble to find out all you can,” he emphasises. “Only then will you have the necessary knowledge and skills to optimise your children’s health and wellbeing.”
Comments