Indicators of children health:
There are four indicators of children health employed for determining Global Health Index(GHI) of a particular country. These are malnutrition or under nourishment, Children stunting, Children wasting and Children mortality.Let us understand each of these indicators.
(1)) Undernutrition or malnutrition in children:It means calorie intake is insufficient.
It occurs when children do not consume enough calories, protein, or micronutrients to maintain good health.It is common globally and may result in both short and long term irreversible adverse health outcomes. Undernutrition is used synonymously with malnutrition, however, malnutrition could mean both undernutrition or overnutrition causing childhood obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malnutrition accounts for 54 percent of child mortality worldwide, which is about 1 million children.Another estimate, also by WHO, states that childhood underweight is the cause for about 35% of all deaths of children under the age of five worldwide.
Symptoms of malnutrition in a child can include: not growing or putting on weight at the expected rate (faltering growth) changes in behaviour, such as being unusually irritable, slow or anxious. low energy levels and tiring more easily than other children.
The causes of malnutrition in children :
Malnutrition is not only about lack of food; a combination of other causes lead to malnutrition in children, including: diet at home, illnesses such as malaria and water-borne diseases, limited access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure, and knowledge about safe hygiene practices, lack of access to health .
Two , major types of malnutrition:
There are two major types of malnutrition:
( i)Protein-energy malnutrition - resulting from deficiencies in any or all nutrients.
(ii)Micronutrient deficiency diseases - resulting from a deficiency of specific micronutrients.
(2Children stunting: It means kids with low height for age.
Stunting is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO Child Growth Standards median.
A stunted child is too short for their age, does not fully develop and stunting reflects chronic undernutrition during the most critical periods of growth and development in early life.
Stunting is a syndrome where linear growth failure serves as a marker of multiple pathological disorders associated with increased morbidity and mortality, loss of physical growth potential, reduced neurodevelopmental and cognitive function and an elevated risk of chronic disease in adulthood.
The causes of child stunting:
Stunted growth:
The most direct causes are inadequate nutrition (not eating enough or eating foods that lack growth promoting nutrients) and recurrent infections or chronic or diseases which cause poor nutrient intake, absorption or utilization.
The prevalence of stunting varies substantially by world region, with the highest prevalence in Africa and South-Central Asia which includes India.
(3) Child wasting:
It refers to a child who is too thin, having low weight for his or her height and is the result of recent rapid weight loss or the failure to gain weight. A child who is moderately or severely wasted has an increased risk of death, but treatment is possible.
The causes childhood wasting:
Wasting and other forms of acute malnutrition are the result of maternal malnutrition, low birth weight, poor feeding and care practices, and infection exacerbated by food insecurity, limited access to safe drinking water, and poverty.
The difference between stunting and wasting:
Wasting in children is associated with a higher risk of death if not treated properly. Stunting is defined as low height-for-age.
Identifying wasting in children:
A child whose weight falls two standard deviations below their expected weight for their height is defined as 'wasted'. In a population, the prevalence of wasting is defined as the share of child under five years old that fall two standard deviations below the expected weight for their height.
The main symptoms of wasting are:
•severe weight loss, including loss of fat and muscle mass.
•loss of appetite.
•anaemia (low red blood cells)
•weakness and fatigue.
(4)Child mortality: It means that children die before their 5 th birthday influenced by environment and access to nutrition.
Child mortality or the under-five mortality rate refers to the probability of a child dying between birth and exactly 5 years of age, expressed per 1,000 live births. In 2020, 5.0 million children under 5 years of age died in world. This translates to 13,800 children under the age of 5 dying every day in year 2020.
In demography, child mortality refers to the death of children under the age of five while infant mortality refers to the death of those under the age of one.
The means to reduce child mortality:
Improved complementary feeding for young children, i.e. giving foods in addition to breast milk, is an important way to prevent undernutrition and reduce child mortality. FAO helps countries strengthen local capacities to improve complementary feeding for young children, using locally available and affordable foods.
The causes of child mortality:
Globally, infectious diseases, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, along with pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia and trauma and congenital anomalies remain the leading causes of death for children under five.
The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society.
Solutions that save lives, reduce child mortality:
Skilled attendants for antenatal, birth, and postnatal care. Access to nutrition and micronutrients. Family knowledge of danger signs in a child's health. Improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Sub-Saharan Africa is having highest child mortality:
While the global under-5 mortality rate (U5 MR) fell to 37 (35–40) deaths per 1000 live births in 2020, children in sub-Saharan Africa continued to have the highest rates of mortality in the world at 74 (68–86) deaths per 1000 live births- 14 times higher than the risk for children in Europe and North America.
Child mortality affects overall life expectancy:
Child mortality is a huge factor in overall life expectancy a large number of children dying can cancel out many people living to old age, and bring down the average lifespan.
Age:Weight :Height in male children :-
2 Years:12.47 kg:86.8 cm
3 Years:14.06 kg:95.2 cm
4 Years:16.33 kg:102.3 cm
5 Years:18.37 kg:109.2 cm
Age:Weight :Height in female children:-
2 Years:12.02 kg:85.5 cm
3 Years:14.29 kg:94.0 cm
4 Years:15.42 kg:100.3 cm
5 Years:17.92 kg:107.9 cm
Information compiled by:
Dr. Bhairavsinh Raol
