Perception Of Parents Towards Malnutrition
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Perception Of Parents Towards Malnutrition
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Malnutrition refers to both undernutrition (subnutrition) and overnutrition (obesity). It can also refer to the insufficient, excessive, or imbalanced ingestion of nutrients.
Nutrition is crucial to a growing child’s capacity to develop normally into adulthood since malnutrition causes slowed growth, muscular wasting, and a lack of several vitamins, particularly vitamin A and zinc mineral.
Malnutrition is defined by the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2010) as a poor health condition caused by a lack of food or a lack of the appropriate nourishment. Malnutrition is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2010) as a lack of microelements such as potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium required for appropriate metabolism and bodily function. It is worth noting that nutrient requirements rise during early growth and development both in utero and outside of the uterus. According to the National Health Service of the United Kingdom (NHS).
Malnutrition is estimated to impact approximately three million individuals, with one in every three people admitted to hospitals or care homes in the United Kingdom being malnourished or at risk of malnourishment.
According to Black et al. (2013), undernutrition kills three million children each year. Malnutrition is projected to have caused a 31% increase in fatalities in Africa from 1990 to 43% in 2005, resulting in 10.6 million deaths of under-five children per year (World Health Organisation, 2015).
The Federal Ministry of Health estimates that 41% of Nigerian children under the age of five are malnourished, resulting in 1.1 million fatalities (Punch News 2015).
Statement of the Problem
Malnutrition in growing children is one of the leading causes of child morbidity and mortality, accounting for up to 33% of all child deaths in Nigeria. Malnutrition causes at least 30–50% of all childhood deaths and 10–40% of hospital admissions in underdeveloped countries (WHO 2005).
Severe malnutrition in growing children increases the risk of morbidity because malnourished children are more sensitive to infection, have impaired cognitive development, poor social and emotional success, and lower economic productivity.
To make a long-term impact, interventions must address both the primary cause and the contextual element. Poverty has been identified as a key factor of severe malnutrition; however, the path to this is complex.
Improved economic performance does not always result in improved nutritional status; poverty increases susceptibility to poor nutritional outcomes, although a large number of children raised in poverty thrive. As a result, appropriate nutrition is only one component that matters.
The incorporation of psychosocial stimulation (exposing a kid to a variety of experiences and encouraging them to explore their surroundings) into nutritional programs has been shown to be a crucial component in effectively alleviating malnutrition.
This includes improving parenting skills and promoting change in the parent-child relationship. As a result, understanding parents’ thoughts and behaviours is critical in any nutritional intervention.
As a first step in mobilising resources to develop an appropriate intervention, a study was conducted to determine parent perceptions of malnutrition as a health problem in growing children.
In a community like Gongi, where the mother is the primary carer and the parent who typically accompanyes a child to the hospital for treatment of severe malnutrition, the parent is the key to overcoming the consequences of severe malnutrition.
The current study aims to answer the following question: “What are parents’ perceptions of malnutrition as a health problem in growing children at Gongi clinic?”
Objectives of the Study
i. The study seeks to determine parents’ attitudes about malnutrition.
ii. Identify the cause of malnutrition.
iii. Identify the implications of malnutrition.
Significance of the Study
The study’s findings will help researchers understand the causes of hunger, the impacts of malnutrition, and mothers’ perceptions of starvation. The study will also assist moms understand the implications of malnutrition.
Knowing the prevalence of malnutrition among growing children would allow the Gongi clinic to educate parents more about malnutrition prevention.
Research Questions
i. What are the causes of malnutrition among growing children?
ii. What impact does malnutrition have on children’s growth and development?
iii. What are nursing mothers’ attitudes regarding malnutrition?
Scope of the Study
The research topic focusses on parents who attend Gongi clinic in Maiduguri, Borno state, and their perceptions of malnutrition as a health problem in developing children.
Limitations
Delay in collecting questionnaires because customers visit the Infant Welfare Clinic on different days, difficulties in obtaining client attention, and funding constraints.
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