Discuss about Nutrition & Health Promotion.
Early childhood nutrition is essential to the growth and development of a child. Particularly, a baby’s nutritional needs change as the child continues to grow. For this reason, one is required to keep the nutrition track of the baby as he/she outgrows from one stage to another. It is an important factor that ensures optimal development and health in children. One way of promoting nutrition in the infancy and childhood is breastfeeding (Bhutta et al. 2013). Mothers are advised to practice exclusive which commences right after birth to at least six months. Vaivada, Gaffey and Bhutta (2017) outline the benefits of infancy and childhood breast feeding. Breast milk, thus, has benefits such as enhancing the proper development of the brain, boosting immunity, and facilitation of the infant’s metabolic processes. Additionally, optimal breastfeeding in infants and children has been found to reduce their mortality due to the reduction of infectious diseases, lower respiratory infections, and diarrhea (Bhutta et al. 2013). There is no doubt that one needs to strive to provide nutritious food to the children because poor nutrition can be expensive. Poor nutrition, in this case, refers to the substandard diet quantity and quality that occurs as a result of over- nutrition or under nutrition. Together with the lack of early learning opportunities, poor nutrition results in long term health problems, economic disparities as well as poor development in millions of children aged five and below (Spence et al. 2013). In addressing factors that promote early childhood nutrition, of the importance is not only to focus on the food recommended for the children but also the eating context.
The sustained food acceptance and the diet quality are essential in childhood nutrition. Considering that a child’s eating patterns and preferences for food are established earlier in life, the two can affect/influence how a child obtains food nutrients. For this reason, the child’s feeding context/habit is vital (Black & Hurley, 2007). For instance, some children may refuse to take some food hence becoming confrontational during meals time. Such children, thus, are denied some nutrients. This is why there is the need to establish responsive interactions between the caregiver and the child. Again, there might also be a challenge where a caregiver may be inexperienced or stressed or even have poor eating habits. In such a situation, the caregiver also requires assistance in facilitating nutritious and healthy mealtime behavior so that it may not also affect the child’s feeding habits. Although there have been tremendous efforts made towards ensuring that there is adequate, sustainable and quality early childhood nutrition, there have been challenges. According to Vaivada, Gaffey and Bhutta (2017), heightened levels of poverty, malnutrition, morbidity and mortality remain an enormous challenge, especially in the low and middle-income countries. They also argue that the children who stay alive during the infancy are likely to face other health related problems such as stunted growth and development. The biggest problem surrounding the whole issue of nutrition is scarcity or lack of nutritious food to feed the children considering that many people in the developing countries live below the poverty line.
It is astounding how the marketing in the modern era has targeted children especially when it comes to junk food and goodies. In fact, a majority of the television commercials for fast foods, sweetened drinks, snacks and sweets target children (Jolly, 2011). In most cases, foods marketed to children are mainly unhealthy. For this reason, children are most likely to adopt unhealthy eating habits, a behavior that in most cases is also perpetuated in adulthood. Mostly, food marketing influences the choice of foods for the children (Cairns et al..2013). To entice children into buying or choosing the advertised foods, the marketers tactfully focus on factors such as celebrity endorsements in marketing, and the use of attractive colors and shapes. Notably, the foods are mainly high energy foods with little nutritional value. Following the emergence of the internet and its accessibility together with access to devices such as phones, computers, screen plays, and televisions children can access a wide range of information (Cairns et al..2013). Major adverts are done on such platforms thus exposing children to the information. Other than the foods commercials conducted on TVs, the marketers ensure that they expound on their marketing channels such that the adverts are present in almost all places where children play, study, eat or meet during the hangout. Additionally, the same adverts are accessible through websites, email, video games, books, cross-promotions in videos and movies, text messaging, and viral marketing (Cairns et al..2013). Research has shown that there is a paramount correlation between the advertisements on non-nutritious foods and obesity prevalence among children (Jolly, 2011). Unhealthy food has been cited as one of the primary contributing factors to the high rate of obesity. Obesity is one of the most alarming public health problems and one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity among children. It should also be understood that it also has long term implications not only on economic but also social costs. For instance, the rate at which the rate of obesity is increasing in America is quite alarming. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention contends that the number of children with obesity of ages 2 to 5 has doubled from 5.0 percent to 12.4 percent. The result is no different for children of ages 6 to 11 and 12 to 19 where the prevalence rates 6.5 percent to 17.0 percent and 6.5 percent to 17.0 percent, respectively (Ogden, et al. 2016). The marketing of unhealthy foods to children and its dire consequences is what has awakened the call for action by the health experts and the consumer advocates. Consequently, there has been the implementation of both legal and policy alternatives (Dixon, et al. 2017). Additionally, due to the governments’ challenges in the battle against unhealthy food marketing the industry self-regulatory programs have also joined the battle. The health experts, advocates, and the policymakers have also explored other options such as the legislation of food selling licensing, pricing strategies such as high taxation on sweetened drinks, preventing tying of toys with unhealthy meals, media target to raise awareness on proper nutrition, health, and fitness.
Breakfast is an important meal of the day. Intake of healthy breakfast has been associated with a lot of benefits (Adolphus, Lawton & Dye, 2013). Hence, habitual consumption provides the body with essential nutrients. A healthy breakfast, therefore, has high fiber diet, lower levels of fat and cholesterol, and carbohydrate. It also contributes to the high intake of the micronutrients such as iron, B vitamins and D vitamins. According to Adolphus, Lawton and Dye (2013), eating breakfast helps in maintaining the correct body mass index (BMI) in school going children and adolescents. There is an assumption based on the evidence that consumption of breakfast has positive impacts on children’s cognitive performance (Mhurchu et al., 2013). For this reason, breakfast taking for the school going children and adolescents is highly encouraged. The children’s cognitive performance is gauged in terms of a child’s attention and memory. Adolphus, Lawton and Dye (2013) also posit the dependence of behavioral, cognitive, and academic results. For instance, changes in behavior may influence cognitive changes. Similarly, they say that there is an increase in attention in children who take breakfast as compared to those who skip. The difference between the two is exhibited in the on-task behavior during the school lessons. The cognitive performance is also said to have a direct impact on academic performance. Similarly, the Australian Red Cross (SA Health, 2009) has also affirmed that the school going children and adolescents who have a routine of taking breakfast tend to have a longer attention span and high concentration in the class.
Their learning and studying, therefore, differs considerably from the children who skip or never have breakfast. Their physical performance is also enhanced since they have stronger muscles and body energy. Additionally, the experts maintain that breakfast improves the learner’s mood, morale as well as influencing behavior. To ensure that school children access to breakfast, the Australian Red Cross in conjunction with the Australian government has put some measures that include; providing breakfast for the children in schools, provide quality health care and learning outcomes, promoting and encouraging children participation and engagement in school, and facilitating socialization among them. Despite the many advantages associated with breakfast intake, some children and teenagers may choose to skip their breakfast (Rampersaud et al. 2005). Conversely, skipping breakfast may lead to weight gain. More often than not, those individuals who skip breakfast tend to take a lot of snacks and food during the lunch or dinner thus gaining extra weight. Nevertheless, parents can encourage their children to take breakfast by doing such things as getting creative with breakfast choices, setting some time apart for breakfast, and including nutritious foods from the available food groups. For example, some of the foods that be included in the breakfast meal include; eggs, whole grain bread, yogurt, fruits, and milk. Although many authors agree that taking breakfast among the school going children and adolescents contribute to good health, correct BMI, weight, cognitive development, concentration and attention in class, and physical performance, some longitudinal findings indicate that there is the need for further studies (Rampersaud et al. 2005)
References
Cairns, G., Angus, K., Hastings, G., & Caraher, M. (2013). Systematic reviews of the evidence
on the nature, extent and effects of food marketing to children. A retrospective summary. Appetite, 62, 209-215.
Dixon, H., Niven, P., Scully, M., & Wakefield, M. (2017). Food marketing with movie character
toys: Effects on young children’s preferences for unhealthy and healthier fast food meals. Appetite.
Jolly, R. (2011). Marketing obesity? Junk food, advertising and kids. Research Paper no. 9. The
Parliament of Australia.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Lawman, H. G., Fryar, C. D., Kruszon-Moran, D., Kit, B. K., &
Flegal, K. M. (2016). Trends in obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States, 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. Jama, 315(21), 2292-2299.
Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and
academic performance in children and adolescents. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7.
Mhurchu, C. N., Gorton, D., Turley, M., Jiang, Y., Michie, J., Maddison, R., & Hattie, J. (2013).
Effects of a free school breakfast programme on children9s attendance, academic achievement and short-term hunger: results from a stepped-wedge, cluster randomised controlled trial. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 67(3), 257-264.
Rampersaud, G. C., Pereira, M. A., Girard, B. L., Adams, J., & Metzl, J. D. (2005). Breakfast
habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(5), 743-760.
SA Health. (2009) SA Community Foodies Training Manual, internal document.
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