According to the UN’s Standing Committee on Nutrition, malnutrition “is the single largest contributor to disease in the world.” Malnutrition is the lack of nutritious food or not having enough to eat. Malnutrition can lead to stunted growth, impaired learning abilities, weak immune system, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and many other problems based off of the nutrients the body is lacking. In pregnant mothers, it can also lead to stillbirth, miscarriage, and other complications. In the Dominican Republic, this is a large issue that affects numerous urban families. With 20% of the entire population living in extreme poverty and an increasing population, this issue is becoming more prominent with every passing day.
In the Dominican Republic,
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In the small community La Piedra, school has become a very prominent project. The school, which was founded in 2014, provides nearly 100 children with free education and meals five days a week. In this case, education is literally saving families. The social security system in the Dominican Republic offers help to support the elderly and disabled, along with benefits for death and those who are pregnant. On the other hand, few Dominicans have additional health insurance. Due to poor sanitation, malnutrition, and inadequate housing, infant mortality is high and diseases are …show more content…
There would be a reduction in birth defects and developmental problems, which means that future generations would be more able to get a life-sustaining job. Improving or eliminating malnutrition for urban families would help the productivity of the cities and their businesses.
Population growth will be a great issue that will affect, and currently does affect, malnutrition. Currently, the population is around 10.6 million people. As the population of the Dominican Republic grows, there will be fewer resources available for those living there. Water scarcity is also an issue that will affect malnutrition. Without enough clean water, crops will struggle to grow; there will not be enough food to decrease the percentage of those malnourished in the Dominican
Food insecurity is one of the major social problems that we have in our world today. The concern about this problem is the increasing number of people that are beginning to experience hunger more often. “While hunger has long been a public health concern in developing countries, it has received varying degrees of attention in the United States, most notable during the 1930s and 1960s” (Poppendieck 1992). In addition to lack of food, there are consequences that follow. People, especially children, who suffer from food deprivation also undergo some health issues such as malnutrition and obesity, which leads to more health care and hospitalizations. “In the early 1980s, most reports of hunger involved families with children, the elderly, the unskilled and unemployed youth, the mentally ill, the homeless and minorities” (Brown 1992; Nestle and Guttmacher 1992). However, a particular ethnic group that is greatly affected by food insecurities are the Hispanic...
On July 18, a group of 26 students, including myself, embarked on a service trip down to San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. San Juan de la Maguana is an impoverished town on the western side of the Dominican Republic, right in the middle of the island of Hispaniola. While there, we organized a camp for the local children in the town through the local parish, Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza. While there I came to two realizations. One being the language barrier separating the groups of Americans and Dominicans couldn’t keep away the genuine human connection between us. The other was questioning whether these kids needed our help as much as some other people needed it.
many benefits it will improve humans, for example improving the childs intelligence or give the
Nutritional anthropology applies the anthropological approach to nutritional disciplines by studying and understanding how the interactions of social and biological factors affect the nutritional status of individuals and populations. Dettwlyer conducted a medical anthropological research assessing the nutritional status of individuals living in a population in Mali, Africa. She defined it as to be a biocultural approach because the research did not only pertain to the biological system of the people but cultural dogmas, infant feeding practices, socio-economic status, political-ecological factors also contributed as much. Death rates and child malnutrition rates are very high in Mali, it being one of the poorest countries of the world. Therefore, Dettwlyer being a nutritional anthropologist extends her study to the children of Mali who are malnutritioned as a result of their birth in poor families; because their mothers have a low status in their prosperous extended family households; ethno-cultural tenets, etc.
One of the problems, the government failed to solve is education for all the children (Baguley and Winter 10). Education free under the 1999 constitution however is not mandatory for all children in Venezuela to attend school (“Constitution Venezuela”). The government has set up 35 percent of the national budget to education. The student education budget has increased, but many children do not attend school due to poverty (“2008 Findings”). Children must work to keep the house running and to have food every day (Baguley and Winter 11). Indigenous and African descent children also do not get access to education (Baguley and Winter 15). There is twenty percent of the population without formal education. In April 2002, in Venezuela eighteen percent of the children that started prima...
A healthy diet may help to prevent certain chronic long-term conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and may reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. Nutrition information offers a public health tool that could be used to promote informed consumer choice and aid consumption of a healthy diet. However millions of women chose to take dietary supplements to maintain good health, ease illnesses and defy ageing. Supplements are also used as a medication in women with decreased iron stores, because of menses and pregnancies (Anderson & Fitzgerald, 2010). The main aim of the research project is to explore the motivations surrounding the use of nutritional information among young women and relate this information to the choice to use supplements. This is important to women’s health and the topic of nutrition as a large amount of money is spent on both food and supplements. When nursing patients with a wide range of different conditions nutrition is the foundation of all treatment. It also reduces mortality, relapses and subsequent hospital admissions. The complexity of this subjective person and objective body aligned philosophically as interpretivism and positivism respectively reinforces the importance of both qualitative and quantitative approaches contributing to understanding of this (Gerrish and Lacey 2006). Nutrition is also crucial in health and social policy financially through reduction in readmissions which will reduce costs for practice as obesity and poor diet cost the NHS billions of pounds every year (Department Of Health, 2013).
In conclusion, hunger is a constant, chronic pain distressing many children. Famished children should have become a thing of the past a long time ago. The thought may seem impossible, but the world produces enough food to feed everyone. In the world as a whole, per capita food availability has risen from about 2220 kcal/person/day in the early 1960s to 2790 kcal/person/day in 2006-08, while developing countries also recorded a leap (2015 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
2. Orogastric: This route is used when NG is contraindicated, and to prevent sinusitis. It is tolerated well by the sedated patients but not in awake patients.
The government of Guatemala wishes, “to improve the standard of education and ensure job opportunities” (Coha). The government wants to improve education with hopes that the amount of crime and violence will decrease, and that it will build a better foundation for their community. In Guatemala, most parents didn’t graduate high school and didn't have high paying jobs, so they can’t afford to get the supplies themselves for their children. For example, the International Monetary Fund says, “Some parents might be able to provide an education for their children if they could spread the cost over several years, but many poor people in low-income countries do not have access to credit” (Hillman). This is because the amount of poverty in the state of Guatemala is high and that makes it hard for the schools to get the supplies they need because no one can afford it with low paying jobs.
Even though there are numerous families that struggle to put food on the table, protein deficiency is rare in the United States, but can be seen in third world countries like Africa. However, protein deficiency disorders can occur even in the United States with people suffering from “alcoholism, anorexia nervosa, or certain intestinal tract disorders, [as well as] those who are elderly, have limited incomes, and are chronically ill”(Schiff 2013). Under nutrition of any kind is due to a lack of food in some fashion whether from crop failures, political unrest, or civil wars, but the etiology of Kwashiorkor and other protein deficiencies is often more complicated. Protein energy malnutrition (also known as PEM) affects people who do not consume sufficient amounts of protein. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 18% of children are underweight due to malnutrition of some kind, including protein-energy malnutrition. There are in fact two types of PEM, kwashiorkor and marasmus. Kwashiorkor is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in developing countries, primarily occurring where mothers breastfeed their infants until they give birth to another child. The older
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.
“Malnourished children are 20% less literate than those with a healthier diet, says UK charity Save the Children” (The Information Daily). When parents become victims of poverty it can have some very unpleasing long and short term effects to their children. Parents in poverty have a lot on their plate and buying the best quality food or affording enough food can be a tumultuous task. Quality nutrition is essential for the development of the brain. At a young age, poor nutrition or not enough nutrition can seriously hinder “the brain 's development, a child’s ability to learn and has a devastating impact on a child’s future”(The Information Daily). “Malnutrition in the early developmental stages of the brain, by restricting the children’s cognitive growth, can lower a child 's IQ has much has 20 points”(The Information Daily). Long term effects of malnutrition leave permanent damage to the brain, however, malnutrition has short term effects as well. Malnourishment can greatly compromise a child’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. “Low counts of zinc, iron and vitamin A are commonly associated with weakened immune function” (Orphan Nutrition). A deadly infection can have a huge impact on a poverty stricken family leading to less affordability. Malnutrition negatively affects a student throughout their educational
In many countries with high levels of poverty, universal healthcare is a myth and quality healthcare is often a reserve for the financially endowed. Because of this, the poor are forced to contend with below par healthcare services, which are still comparatively expensive. The inability to access regular and balanced meals often results in poor health among individuals in this populace, with chronic illnesses being very common (Hickey & du Toit, 2013). Unfortunately, the same can be said of education. Many children in poverty stricken areas often drop out of school at early ages to seek employment. This is often driven by the need for every member of the household to contribute towards family expenses (Hatcher, 2016; Yoshikawa, Aber, & Beardslee, 2012). As a result, these children do not enjoy the benefits of proper education, which often results in many of these children still living within the same poverty brackets as their
more organized live. Kids will not have to work at early ages. And everybody will