How To Prevent Child Malnourishment

Sitting down to enjoy three meals a day is a luxury that's easily taken for granted. But many people, including children, are not getting enough food to be adequately nourished.

Food insecurity is a major issue in North America. According to Save the Children, one in six children in America struggles with hunger. Seventeen percent of all children are living in food-insecure households that cannot provide nutrition at some point during the year. A Household Food Insecurity in Canada study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto found 15.9 percent of households across all 10 provinces experienced food insecurity in 2021. Around 5.8 million Canadians had some sort of food insecurity, which included 1.4 million children.

Households with lower incomes are more likely to be food insecure, say researchers. Experts anticipate that food insecurity and child malnourishment will only continue to get worse as incomes fail to keep up with inflation.

Health experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine say that more children suffer from malnutrition due to dietary imbalances rather than nutritional deficiencies in the United States. Children who are not getting adequate food may be short for their ages, thin or bloated, experience lack of energy, and have weakened immune systems. Malnourishment can produce changes in mood and other psychiatric symptoms as well.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement in 2018 highlighting the importance and irreversibility of the 1,000-day window. This refers to the nutrition kids receive from birth until their second birthdays and how it has a profound impact on how they develop. There's no catching up if kids are malnourished in this period of time, and malnourishment can produce a lower IQ and chronic medical problems in the future, advises the AAP.

Families facing food insecurity should seek assistance for the health and well-being of everyone involved. There may be government programs that allow for receipt of funds to apply toward food purchases for those who do not exceed certain income thresholds. For example, in the U.S., there is The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC program) to help low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. There's also the Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental

Food Assistance Program to provide for a nutritionally adequate diet for low-income families.

In addition to federal programs, children may qualify for reduced-cost or free school-based breakfast and lunch programs to gain access to balanced meals. Families also can take advantage of local food banks to help offset food deficiencies in homes.

Malnutrition and food insecurity are serious issues that can be addressed with wider recognition of these problems.