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Why is nutrition so important in childhood development?

Nutrition in child development begins with prenatal care, continues through infancy, early childhood, and into middle childhood. Proper nutrition throughout these stages will increase the chances of developing good eating habits which also leads to overall good health. During pregnancy a woman must consume the adequate nutrition in order to ensure proper growth and delivery of a healthy baby. In early childhood, the child must consume a variety of foods in order to avoid short term and long term diseases caused by malnutrition. In middle childhood inadequate nutrition and lack of physical activity can lead to obesity. The role of nutrition in ensuring optimal growth and development outcomes is paramount during prenatal development, infancy, and early childhood. During this period of rapid growth, brain growth is dramatic. Studies have linked impaired functioning of the central nervous system to iron deficiency in the early months of life and to later cognitive and behavioral outcomes in childhood and adolescence. Adequate nutrition helps to prevent illnesses and ensures the developmental integrity of the individual. During the prenatal period, it is extremely important that the mother maintains a nutrient- rich diet because nutrients are passed from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. It is recommended that a woman of normal weight before pregnancy should gain about 25 to 35 pounds, but it can vary for individuals. It is beneficiary to the mother and the fetus that the prospective mother consults a physician or other prenatal health care professional plans to set an appropriate diet and weight gain program. The mother should be cautioned against consuming caffeine, alcohol, or calorie-rich/nutrient-poor snacks and junk foods. When the newborn has arrived, his infancy stage starts and he has the major task of learning to take nourishment. This task becomes a complex one because sensory-motor physiological capabilities sleep/awake state, and focus of attention must be all coordinated. The reflex sucking system comes into play as the infant learns to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing efficiently during the nursing process. Because of its biochemical composition, breast milk is uniquely suited to the infant’s immature digestive system. It provides initial advantages through colostrum, the milk that precedes mature breast milk in the first several days after delivery. Colostrum provides immunity to a number of infections, and is rich in the nutrients a newborn needs. Mature breast milk is secreted between the 3rd and 6th day after childbirth and changes over time to match the changing needs of the growing infant. Generally for the first 6 months, breast milk provides all the fluids and nutrients an infant needs to be healthy. After 6 months, a pediatrician may prescribe supplements such as fluoride, vitamin C, and vitamin D if there is a need for them and may begin the introduction of selected solid foods (Stassen, 2009 p154-156). Formula can be used as a supplement for breast milk when the mother must be away, or chooses to omit a feeding, or her breast milk is inadequate. There are special purpose formulas for specific nutritional or medical needs. Today’s formulas are designed to simulate human milk and provide essential proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals (Stassen, 2009 p156). The introduction of solid foods usually begins with iron-fortified cereals. New foods are introduced one at a time, and usually once a week, to accustom the infant to this new experience and to detect any allergies to specific foods. As the infant’s intake of solid foods increases, his or her need for breast milk or formula decreases. Neither sugar nor salt should be added to foods prepared for infants. As the infant grows and learns to eat different foods, a well balanced diet consisting of foods selected from the vegetable, fruit, meat, grain, and cereal groups should be provided. Foods should be appealing in color, flavor, texture, and shape. Self-feeding foods must be easy to chew and swallow. Mealtimes should be fun, not in a hurry, and pleasant. During this period of growth, concerns about obesity, cholesterol, and other diet-related health problems should not lead the parents to believe in reducing fat and calories for the infant. On the contrary, body size, proportions, and compositions are in a period of very rapid change (Stassen, 2009 p156). Nutrition not only begins with prenatal care, it carries on into infancy, early childhood, and beyond as well. According to MyPyramid.gov, the average two year old preschooler, who is physically active between 30-60 minutes a day, should consume 1000 calories a day. A five year old, on the other hand, who is physically active between 30-60 minutes a day, should have a daily caloric intake of 1400, a difference of 400 calories from that of a two year old. Meals should consist of grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat & beans, and oils. Other extras consisting of fats and sugars should be limited to 165-170 calories per day. In order to achieve the recommended balanced nutrition, children should be offered a variety of foods. The amount of physical activity of the child is also taken into consideration; therefore, the recommended caloric intake will vary from child to child Unfortunately, not every child in this world is able to have a balanced meal each day. For children of developing countries, “Under nutrition is a major problem that begins early in life with high rates of low-birth weight […] and contributes to the death of almost 10 million children annually.” (Black, APA) Under nutrition affects the growth of a child and their brain function. Without proper nutrition a child can suffer from long term and short term diseases and illnesses such as, mental retardation, and may be susceptible to other diseases, for example marasmus and kwashiorkor (Berger, 2009157). Kwashiorkor is a long term effect of malnutrition that occurs in early childhood, typically in children ages one to five. However, it can also affect children of all ages. Kwashiorkor is a disorder where the caloric intake is average but the protein intake is minimal (Glaser). It is mainly caused by the weaning of breast milk, which is a main source of amino acids and other vital nutrients the child receives when nursing. Once the child is weaned, it loses its main source of protein intake forcing the mother to substitute other types of food that lack the vital nutrients the child needs in order to thrive. Some of the symptoms that Kwashiorkor has include: discoloration of the hair, diarrhea, stunted growth, edema, vitiligo (spots on skin), and irritability. In order to prevent effects of diseases due to malnutrition, early intervention is very important. Some effects of malnutrition require longer periods of intervention which will increase the benefits of proper development. Unfortunately, that does not apply to all aspects of developmental delays that may develop because of malnutrition. “Short-term and unifocal interventions that begin during the later pre-school period will do little to repair the damage from a history of malnutrition, poor health, and less than optimal caretaking” (Grantham-McGregor, et al). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since 1980 the number of overweight children ages 6-11 years old has more than doubled. About 15% of children 6-19 years old are overweight. The percent of children who are at risk of being overweight is around 30%. African American and Mexican American youth ages 6-19 4 out of 10 are considered overweight or at risk of being overweight. The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling childhood obesity an unprecedented burden on children’s health. Medical complications common in overweight children include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, trouble sleeping, and depression. Given that 80% of obese adolescents go on to become overweight adults and obesity is considered worse than smoking the Academy of Pediatrics considers the health care cost associated with obesity “staggering”. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention there are several factors causing the disturbing trend of childhood obesity that are not related to media. Those factors are: A reduction in physical education classes and after school athletic programs. An increase in the availability of sodas and snacks in public schools, the growth in the number of fast food outlets across the country, the trend towards “super sizing” food portions in restaurants and the increasing number of highly processed high calorie and high fat grocery products. Experts agree that one of the main contributing factors associated with childhood obesity is an explosion of media targeted towards children such as T.V. shows, and videos, specialized cable networks, video games, computer activities and internet websites. Today children spend an average of 5 1/2/ hours a day using media of some sort, the equivalent of a full time job. Children spend more time with media than doing anything else besides sleeping. Media today is targeting children specifically. With ads containing foods such as candy, soda and snacks and considering many cultures encourage children to eat sweets in the form of birthday cake, holiday candy, desserts, and other treats, it’s no wonder we have an obesity epidemic on our hands. It is estimated that the typical child sees about 40,000 ads a year on TV alone. Child development experts believe that media contributes to childhood obesity in one of the following ways: The time children spend using media displaces time they could spend in physical activities. The food advertisements children are exposed to on T.V. influences them to make unhealthy food choices. The cross promotions between food products and popular T.V. and movie characters are encouraging children to buy and eat more high calorie foods. Children snack excessively while using media and they eat less healthy meals when eating in front of the T.V. Watching T.V. and videos lowers children’s metabolic rates below what they would be even if they were sleeping. Depictions of nutrition and body weight in entertainment media encourage children to develop less healthy diets. To avoid the obesity epidemic from spreading further it is crucial to implement new prevention programs, to get a better understanding of treatment, and to allow families to have access to good and healthy foods. There are several prevention programs in place already. Recess Rocks is one of those programs. This program targets children grades k-6. A school nurse was attending a Vinnie’s Jump and Jive dance event and asked the organizers for help getting her elementary school children out of their seats and up moving around. Mary Farnsworth, the organizer of Vinnie’s Jump and Jive, connected local dance artist, many of whom had free time during school hours, with school principals and classroom teachers, eager for an alternative to sedentary recess activities during the winter months. Recess rocks would require no new equipment or school resources. Dance teachers would come into the classroom moving the desks aside having the children get up and move or dance to everything from hip-hop to swing music. The fundamental goal of Recess Rocks is to get kids up and moving engaging in fun healthy movement. Even First Lady Michelle Obama has joined the fight with her “Childhood Obesity Action Plan” where she vows to end the obesity epidemic in one generation. In the First Lady’s plan she calls for more infant breast feeding, building more sidewalks, curbing time with digital media, and getting deep fryers out of schools. In order to ensure proper growth and development in a child, adequate nutrition must begin with prenatal care; continue into infancy and through early and middle childhood. Adequate prenatal care can ensure proper growth and delivery of a healthy baby; proper nutrition in early childhood can prevent diseases caused by malnutrition, and proper nutrition and daily physical activity can help prevent childhood obesity. Instilling good eating habits and physical activity through the early years can pave the way for a longer and healthier life. Clara Seamon

Work Cited American Academy of Pediatrics, “Policy Statement: Children, Adolescents, and Advertising,” Pediatrics (February 1995). 295-297 Black, M. “Psychology and Nutrition: Welcome Partners in Global Child Development.” Online Posting. Dec. 2009. American Psychological Association. 18 Oct 2010. http://www.apa.org/international/pi/2009/12/nutrition.aspx Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Healthy People 2010: Physical Activity and Fitness: http://healthypeople.gov/document/html/vol2/22physical.htm (January 7 2004) Glaser, K. L. “Malnutrition in Pediatrics.” Online Posting. n.d. 18 Oct. 2010. http://www.medstudents.com/br/pedia/pedia1.htm Grantham-McGregor, S. M. et al. “Summary of the Scientific Evidence on the Nature and Determinants of Child Development and their Implications for Programmatic Interventions with Young Children.” Online posting. 1999. IUNS. 18 Oct. 2010 http://www.iuns.org/features/child-development.htm Harrison, K. “The Body Electric: Thin-Ideal Media and Eating Disorder in Adolescents, “ Journal of Communication (Summer 2000). 114-143 Stassen Berger, Kathleen. (2009). The Developing Person: Through Childhood and

Adolescence. New York, NY: Worth Publisher.

Story, M. and Faulkner, P. “ The Prime Time Diet: A Content Analysis of Eating Behavior and Food Messages in Television Program Content and Commercials,” American Journal of Public Health 80 (June 1980). 738-740 http://www.mypyramid.gov/plan/index.htm