Project Materials

PERCEIVED SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCING NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN BELOW 5 YEARS IN SELECTED RURAL COMMUNITIES

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study.

Child nutrition is critical to the health and survival of infants and children. Young children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are the most nutritionally vulnerable groups, particularly in underdeveloped nations, but little is done to meet their specific dietary needs. (Oyira, Abua, Mgbekem & Okon, 2010).

Over the last 15 – 20 years, there has been a lot of discussion and debate on the relevance of childhood nutrition for both immediate and long-term health. The depth of curiosity and the facts that pique the attention are novel, but the idea that how a child is fed has long-term effects or consequences is not.

Early feeding has long been regarded as a predictor of later character, as well as later development and health, in both developed and traditional communities.

Correct nutrition ensures healthier children who develop into more productive adults, but poor nutrition causes malnutrition. Malnutrition continues to be a significant public health and development concern around the world, with approximately one-third of the world’s children malnourished and an estimated 150 to 200 million pre-school children (<5 years) in developing countries being underweight or stunted (WHO, 2006).

Malnutrition is a condition caused by an inadequate diet in which particular nutrients are deficient, excessive, or in the incorrect amounts (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2010). Children’s nutritional status is influenced by a variety of factors.

These factors include inadequate dietary intake, poor household, food security, diseases such as diarrhoea and infections, among others, inadequate maternal and child care, an unhealthy environment, a lack of education and nutritional information, to name a few (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2010).

All of this ultimately leads to malnutrition. There is a link between socio-cultural aspects, health and nutrition (Noughani, Bagheri & Ramim, 2014). Socio-economic and socio-cultural elements simultaneously influence both the children’s nutritional status and their nutrition related roles.

Malnutrition’s effects on human performance, health, and survival have been extensively researched for several decades, and studies show that malnutrition has an impact on physical growth, morbidity, mortality, cognitive development, reproduction, and physical work capacity.

Malnutrition is especially common in underdeveloped countries, affecting one out of every three preschool-aged children (United Nations Sub-Committee on Nutrition, 2012).

Nigeria accounts for 5.7% of the world’s hunger problems, with 40% of Nigerian children under five stunted, 9% wasted, and 25% underweight.

Micronutrient deficits in vitamin A, iron, and iodine are common, and two out of every five children in Nigeria are chronically malnourished (Global Hunger Index Report, 2011).

Children’s nutritional status is influenced by a variety of factors. These variables include inadequate dietary intake, poor household food security, diseases such as diarrhoea and infections, inadequate mother and child care, an unhealthy environment, and a lack of knowledge and nutritional information, to name a few (Sullivan & Sheffrin, 2010).

All of this ultimately leads to malnutrition. There is a link between sociocultural factors, health, and nutrition (Noughani, 2010). Socioeconomic and cultural factors influence both children’s nutritional status and nutrition-related roles. Breastfeeding, food taboos, and feeding habits are all cultural practices that can have an impact on a child’s well-being and nutrition.

As a result, social and cultural aspects associated to health and nutrition can help to address some of the practical issues that arise while implementing health programs.

The socio-cultural viewpoint allows us to comprehend people’s existing habits and the connections between these habits, thereby identifying major impediments to the implementation of health programs. Socio-cultural influences have a direct impact on individuals and are likely to alter the route of conduct that an individual is compelled to pursue (Noughani, 2010).

A society’s norms and ideas have a significant impact on the nutritional state of its inhabitants. These factors in combination with other factors such as family structure, ignorance, illiteracy and poverty can lead to severe malnutrition in children.

It is also crucial to identify and understand the factors that put children from rural or farming communities at a higher risk of malnutrition in early childhood than their urban peers.

The present study thus aims to examine the perceived socio-cultural factors influencing nutritional status of children under age 5 in rural communities in Owerri North.