Awareness on the Effects of Malnutrition

The primary purpose of making the children conscious about nutrition is to provide conditions for and to promote the continuous growth of the individual in all areas of living, with a view of achieving and maintaining the democratic way of life. There must be a relationship between food and the health of the individual, which tends to influence the health of the society in which he lives in. It has been said that nutrition is a science concerned with the movements of atoms in man to the movements of man in society. Because of the tremendous population explosion the supply of food for all people of the world is indeed becoming more critical every year. As a nutrition educator, we have that moral obligation to help the nutrition of every individual; for improved nutrition is one factor involved in paving the way towards peace among men. The nutritional status of our communities is a reflection of our individual nutritional health. Perhaps the most significant factor affecting the nutritional status of communities is economics. Having sufficient funds to purchase adequate food supplies is a necessity. Malnutrition is one of the major problems that our country is facing. This problem can’t be set aside. This won’t choose any victim. It may affect adults but mostly, it affects the youth. Through this thesis, the writer may acquire knowledge about the problem, its effects to mankind and some of the factors that will lead to such a problem. Being a practitioner to be, I cannot afford to see mankind suffering from malnutrition because of lack of knowledge about proper nutrition and the lack of resources especially the youth. Because for me, I consider the children as the hope of our country. How can there be hope if they are destroyed by ignorance about proper nutrition resulting to malnutrition? Therefore, I choose this topic for my research because I want to know the condition of those children; on how conscious they are regarding proper nutrition on their selves to possibly eliminate malnutrition. I want to share my little knowledge about proper nutrition to the children and how to improve their health status by educating them through discussions. Because hrough this, I can be aware of the health status of the children in the area. This research will also serve as an awakening bomb to the government and health officials and that should not be rejected. In our country, Malnutrition is a major problem. But according to the latest National Nutrition Surveys, there has been a general improvement between 2003-2008 in the country’s overall nutrition situation, affecting various population groups, as evidenced specifically by reductions in underweight and stunting among 0-5 and 6-10 years old children. Most of the Filipinos nowadays are3 aware of their health but only a few are applying proper nutrition on the daily living. Theoretical Background of the Study Malnutrition is a state that adversely affects growth and development of body functions as a result of either an inadequate or overabundant supply of kilocalories or nutrients to the body tissue. According to Walter Falcon, head of the Food Research Institute of Stanford University(1984:577), â€Å" It might focus more attention on Africa where the most serious hunger exists rather than on southeast Asia. But if only 100 million individuals are clinically malnourished; there probably another 200 million to 400 million that go hungry part of the time. If they’re not in the hospital, they’re not doing too well† According to Mary Alice Caliendo(1984:526)† Malnutrition and nutritional deprivation are basically problems of poverty of unequal and inequitable income distribution not only among individuals but among countries. Malnutrition won’t disappear by simply producing more food or by raising the overall economic levels of poor nations. According to Eleanor R. Williams(1984:513) â€Å"Human brains do not live by bread alone† Malnutrition causes children to become listless and pathetic. According to Thomas Polemar, an agricultural economist(1984:515) â€Å"The number of people estimated to be suffering from malnutrition ranges from 400 million to two thirds of the world population†. In his view, food production in developing countries tends to be understand because taxation is often based on production and because so much backyard production is locally consumed and never counted. On the other hand, other authorities insist that much hunger especially in remote rural areas is inadequately reported. Larry Minear of the Interreligious Task Force on United States Policy told an interviewer recently that, â€Å"Malnutrition is understated because there a lot of people who don’t show up in the planning nets either because the census are bad or because they are not in the market economy and their inability to purchase food isn’t measured. If enough food is to be produced to feed the world, a number of resources such as land, water, energy, fertilizer and technology must be available and widely used. According to Margaret Newman,(www. googlesearch. com), â€Å"the theory of health as expanding consciousness was stimulated by concern for those for whom health as the absence of disease or disability is not possible†. The theory has progressed to include the health of all persons regardless of their health status. The theory asserts that every person in every situation, no matter show disordered and hopeless it may seem, is part of the universal process of expanding consciousness. A process of becoming more oneself, finds greater meaning in life, and of reaching new dimensions of connectedness with other people and world. The theory of health as expanding consciousness stems from Roger’s theory of unitary human beings. Rogers’ assumptions regarding patterning of persons in interaction with the environment are basic to the view that consciousness is a manifestation of an evolving pattern of person to environment interaction. Consciousness is defined as the informational capacity of the system(in this case, the human being); that is, the ability of the system to interact with the environment. Consciousness includes not only the cognitive and affective awarenessnormannly associated with consciousness, but also the interconnectedness of the entire living system, which includes physiochemical maintenance and growth processes as well as the immune system. This patter of information, which is the consciousness of the system, ios part of a larger undivided pattern of an expanding universe. , Rogers’ insistence that health and illness are simply manifestations of the rhythmic fluctuations of the life process is the foundation for viewing health and illness as a unitary process moving through variations in order – disorder. ’ According to Joyce Fitzpatrick,(www. googlesearch. com) â€Å"The primary purpose of nursing is the promotions and maintenance of an optimal level of wellness†. the professional nurse participates in a multi-disciplinary approach to health in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating programs in regards to how they affect optimum wellness. When assessing health care needs the professional nurse incorporates the physical, psychological, emotional, social, environmental and spiritual aspects of the profession into her daily routine. Person-the tem integrates the concepts of both self and others and recognizes individuals as having unique biological, psychological, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual attitudes. They thrive on honor and dignity, self-evaluation and growth and development. Throughout a person’s life, many factors develop within a social setting and interact with a multitude of environments that can significantly influence that person’s health bad wellness. Health – is a dynamic state of being that results from the interaction of person and the environment. Optimum health is the actualization of both innate and obtained human potential gleaned from rewarding relationships with other, goal directed behaviors and expertise. Wellness-Illness- is rooted in the promotion of wellness practices, the attentive treatment of those who are acutely or chronically ill or dying, and restorative care or people during convalescence. Metaparadigm – derived from and related to the basic metaparadigm concepts of person, environment, health and nursing. while much of the research in nursing has been focused on assisting individuals in their life transitions, whether through phases of growth and development, or experiences with health and illness, the conceptualizations of the nursing profession as focused on transitions has not been adequately researched.