This is an automatically translated article.
Malnutrition is a condition in which the body is not provided with enough energy as well as nutrients including protein and micronutrients necessary for the development of children at each stage. Malnutrition is common in children under 3 years of age and has a great impact on both physical and intellectual development of children. If this condition is not corrected in time, it can be dangerous for the child.
1. Causes of malnutrition in children
Malnutrition is a nutritional deficiency including energy, protein, lipid, vitamins, minerals and especially micronutrients. The disease is quite common in children. According to Unicef's 2019 report on child malnutrition in the world, one in three children under the age of five will be undernourished. Malnourished 3-year-old children are also in this group.
There are many causes related to malnutrition in children, especially 3-year-old children. However, the main cause of malnutrition in children comes from children's nutrition as well as unhealthy eating habits or problems related to poor nutrition when children are in the early stages of pregnancy. pregnancy.
1.1. The mother's diet during pregnancy does not provide enough nutrients
Inadequate and balanced nutrition during pregnancy is also considered a cause of the risk of malnutrition in children. A mother's eating habits can affect her child's eating habits later in life.1.2. Children's nutrition is lacking in the period of breastfeeding and complementary feeding
For infants, malnutrition is very common in cases of premature or low birth weight babies and weighing less than 2500 grams or premature babies. The practice of breastfeeding in the first hour after birth and the first days has a significant impact on the development of the child. At the same time, the mother's diet during the lactation period is not nutritious enough, making the breast milk source not guaranteed in both quality and quantity. This will cause malnutrition in children.
In addition, malnourished children also come from cases where the mother lacks milk, the milk is not nutritious, or when the child is supplemented, the mother makes the child eat the wrong way, does not meet the energy needs of each degree. age, or giving complementary foods too early makes the digestive system of the child overworked. In addition, children who are not fully vaccinated also make the immune system weaker, creating favorable conditions for factors from outside the environment to affect the child, causing bad health for the child. .
Trẻ 3 tuổi suy dinh dưỡng có thể do thiếu dinh dưỡng trong giai đoạn bú mẹ
1.3. Mistakes of parents in taking care of and raising children
Another reason why children are prone to malnutrition stems from the mistakes of adults in their upbringing. Accordingly, the children's meals do not guarantee to provide enough nutrients as well as the quality of important nutrients necessary for the child's development.
In the process of feeding children, parents give children too much or too little of a type of food that affects the health of the child. In the first years of life, children have immature immune systems, so feeding them the wrong way can affect the digestive system as well as create favorable conditions to cause disease risk factors for children.
1.4. Other causes
Children with long-term illnesses such as diseases related to respiratory and digestive tract infections, or diseases related to complications of lung disease, measles, dysentery... also cause malnutrition in children.
Children with malformations such as fetal malnutrition, premature babies, cleft lip, cleft palate, congenital heart defects also cause malnutrition in children
Socio-economic conditions is also considered as the cause of disease because of poverty, backwardness, ... the typical factors of developing countries.
2. Signs that help identify children with malnutrition
How does a 3-year-old child develop? Babies are born with an average weight of about 3 kg. If the baby is born at full term and weighs less than 2500 grams, the baby may have fetal malnutrition. In the first 3 months, babies grow very quickly, can gain 500g to 600g of weight/month. On average, a baby can double in weight by 5 months, triple by 12 months, and quadruple by 24 months.
The child's height will be about 50 cm taller on average. After a year, the average height will increase by 5cm to 7cm. After the age of 4, a child can grow by 5cm per year.
In addition, malnourished children also have signs such as weight not increasing, fat atrophy in the arms and muscles that are flabby, atrophy due to loss of all the fat under the abdomen, blue skin, thinning hair, and discoloration. . Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness, corneal dryness...
Trẻ 3 tuổi bị suy dinh dưỡng có các dấu hiệu cân nặng không tăng
3. Measures to be taken when children are malnourished
For children with moderate and mild malnutrition, it is possible to improve the situation with the right diet and care for the child. With the baby's diet, the child should be given a sufficient amount of 5 to 6 meals a day, because by the time the child is 3 years old, he or she will no longer be breastfed.
General principles for meals for malnourished children should be made to try to conserve energy and increase nutrients for children. Increase meals for children along with adding snacks to help children lose their appetite, such as a glass of milk or yogurt, or half a banana...
Moreover, increasing the amount of fat and foods rich in energy The amount in the child's diet is quite good to increase energy for the child such as oil, fat, protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, milk,... In addition, it is necessary to add green vegetables and ripe fruits to provide a variety of vitamins and minerals from these foods.
Supplementing micronutrients for children is quite necessary. Because when children show signs of malnutrition, the body is always lacking in these components, such as calcium, which can be supplemented by using dairy products, cheese, yogurt, dark green vegetables, or Food products made from peas... or poor micronutrients are known to increase absorption and increase protein synthesis as well as help increase appetite for children. Zinc deficiency in children also causes growth retardation in height or causes anorexia due to taste disturbances...
When noticing signs of children related to nutritional status, parents should check for malnutrition for 3-year-old children so that they can promptly find appropriate improvement methods to help them improve their nutritional status as well as develop well physically and intellectually.
Children 3 years old are malnourished, parents should supplement children with supportive products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet their nutritional needs. nutrients in children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. Combining many types of functional foods at the same time or changing many types in a short time can make the baby's digestive system unable to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.
