What is Malnutrition? Adequate nutrition for each stage of child development is mandatory, so that children can grow optimally and maintain their health. The condition of malnutrition and its dangers must also be a concern for parents, so that they can take effective preventive measures.
So in this short article, let’s talk about what is malnutrition and the danger if this happens to children. The following is a brief discussion that can be given.
Understanding What is Malnutrition
In children, malnutrition can be defined as the underweight of a child compared to the ideal weight of a child for his age. The child will look thin or really in poor condition because of the lack of the necessary nutritional intake.
Malnutrition is then divided into two types, mild malnutrition, if the child’s weight is only 70% to 90% of the ideal body weight for his age, and severe malnutrition if the body weight is below 70% of the ideal body weight for children his age.
This weight will then also take into account height, as a calculation of the ratio of the ideal body weight to the child’s growth and development.
Quoting from Alodokter, this condition in addition to causing the child’s body posture is not ideal, it can also increase the risk of disease and infection because the child’s immune system will not be fully formed. Not infrequently, malnutrition also affects the decline in intelligence and work capacity in adulthood.
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Malnutrition Dangers if Not Handled
Malnutrition, as briefly discussed in the previous section, has long-term dangers for children. Some of them are as follows:
1. Developmental Disorders
Obviously, malnutrition will make children grow and develop disturbed. Lack of nutrients that enter and be absorbed by the body makes children not get ideal posture, and good muscle strength of their bodies.
2. Low Endurance
Furthermore, the bad effect of malnutrition is that the immune system becomes low. The risk of disease becomes high, and makes it very difficult for children to grow optimally. The nutrients that the body has will be used for the continuous recovery process, resulting in the child being less energetic and unmotivated.
3. Serious Health Problems
Serious diseases such as kwashiorkor, marasmus, beriberi, scurvy, to anemia will be a big threat to the life of a child who is malnourished. Obviously, this must be handled properly so that the risks in this second part can be avoided from the children in the future.
That was a little discussion about malnutrition and its dangers if not treated quickly. Hopefully it will be a useful article for you, and good luck with your activities!
