Nutrition and Physical Development of Children in Nigeria

By: Obekpa, Hephzibah Onyeje

MSU NAPP Scholar 2019, PhD Candidate, University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Nutrition is the process of providing or obtaining the necessary food for health and growth. Physical development is an important area of child growth that includes children’s physical growth as well as their ability to control the muscles of their bodies. Physical development in children follows a predictable pattern, but each child grows at his or her own rate. Nutrition and physical development of children are linked. Children with good nutrition develop better compared to those with poor nutrition. Good nutrition requires paying attention to balance, variety and moderation with what you consume. It implies consuming a variety of foods that provide you with the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good and have energy. Poor nutrition contributes to the loss of developmental potential and life-long health and economic disparities (UNICEF, 2019). Children's development consists of several interdependent domains, including sensory-motor, cognitive, and social-emotional, all of which are likely to be affected by poor nutrition.

                                      A well nourished child (Source: UNICEF)

The first 1000 days of the life of a child is very important for brain development and food is critical to this. Given that poor nutrition poses a risk for the development of children, the nutrition of children deserves priority of society and not limited to parents. The sustenance of humanity is determined by the well-being of this segment of the population. Indeed, poorly nourished children translates to inter-generational poverty. The effect of poor cognitive development has been linked to dismal performance in learning and education, thereby increasing probability of low productivity in adulthood with likely outcomes of low incomes. The cycle once established likely repeats until the society makes child nutrition priority. The wealth of a nation begins with the society prioritizing the development needs of its populace, one of which is child nutrition. Nutrition of the Nigerian Child is currently at an abysmal low, the country has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent of children under five (UNICEF, 2019).  It is important to know foods that are suitable, the nutrients embedded in them and the positive health effects of such foods.  For example, Iron contributes to normal cognitive function (European Food Safety Authority [EFSA], 2009), protein contributes to the growth or maintenance of muscle mass (EFSA, 2010), and consumption of saturated fat increases blood cholesterol concentrations. Some of the nutrients and the foods containing these nutrients recognized as important for brain development of a child includes:

·       Protein - found in meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, nuts and seeds, as well as dairy products.

·      Zinc - found in meat, shellfish, legumes especially beans, seeds, nuts, diary, whole eggs and grains.

·    Iron - found in meat, beans, lentils, fortified cereals and bread, dark green vegetables and potatoes.

·       Chlorine - found in meat, fish, eggs and some vegetables.

·       Folate - found in liver, spinach and fortified foods.

·       Iodine found in iodized salts, sea foods, dairy products and rich grain.

·       Vitamin A - found in carrot, liver, spinach and sweet potatoes.

·    Vitamin B6 - found in liver, fish, organ meat, potatoes, starchy vegetables and fruits apart from citrus.

·      Vitamin B12 - found in meat, fish, eggs and diary.

·   Vitamin D also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ is found in flesh of fatty fishes such as salmon, fish liver oil and fortified foods. Exposure to sunlight.

·       Long-chain poly unsaturated fatty acids e.g. is omega 3 fatty acids. This can be found in fatty fish, fish oil and foods fortified with it (McCarthy, 2018). 

       Source: https://www.sunnewsonline.com/over-20m-nigerian-children-malnourished-unicef/

Until Nigeria addresses child nutrition, one may just conclude that we are playing lip service to ending poverty and its attendant consequences too numerous to mention.