Nutrition: A Public Health Measure for Child Development

I believe that nutrition and malnutrition a a vital aspect of child development and physical, cognitive, and emotional growth. As members and instructors in the early childhood field, it is our responsibility for educators and caregivers to assist families in providing healthy choices for children as the growth through those early years. In an article published by the New York Times, "malnutrition is the condition that occurs when a person's body is not getting enough nutrients" and may result from inadequate or unbalanced diet, improper digestion, or medical conditions. One of the most significant problems of malnutrition is the lack of certain necessary vitamins that children require during growth that will impact all forms of growth, physically and mentally. Specifically, children and families dealing with poverty, natural disasters, and other problematic conditions are at risk of poor diet. Children living in third world countries take the greatest hit. Urvina states that there will be enough food for everyone worldwide, but still 500 million people were malnourished (Urvina, 1984). Councils and organizations are continuously working toward providing food aid to these countries and prevent people from starvation, but the money and energy required to spend toward this cause remains overwhelming, and many people and children suffer the diseases and effects of associated with malnutrition.
In Kenya, it is common for both adults and children to have many infestations, including hookworm, diarrhea (leading cause of death associated with malnutrition), measles, and parasitic infection. Studies have shown that 50 percent of Kenya's public school pupils are found anemic. 
Children cannot fend for themselves, nor do they have the proper knowledge of what nutrients their bodies need. As an administrator in a child care facility, I can help our families by ensuring proper nutrition for our students and campers during school and camp meal times, including nutritious choices.

(2010). Malnutrition Overview. The New York Times. Accessed 5 November 2010 at http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/malnutrition/overview.html?scp=1&sq=malnutrition%20overview&st=cse

Urvina, Sally (1984). Malnutrition in Third World Countries. Christian Century, pp 550. http://www.christiancentury.org