Influence of Protein Energy Malnutrition on Metal Development among In-School Adolescents

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INFLUENCE OF PROTEIN ENERGY MALNUTRITION ON METAL DEVELOPMENT AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS (Chapter 1-5)

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The human race for as old as time have come to recognize the essential nature of food item as a means of survival. Although, from time immemorial, foods have been absorbed by all and sundry not because they understand the essential constituent (nutrients) in these edibles, rather, it is because it has always kept them growing and animated. Due to science involvement and various researches conducted on food and its contents in times past, human can now specifically decide on what to consume which yields, especially among in-school adolescents the desired result.

Nevertheless, Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) is a major public health problem in Africa. In previewing the Nigeria populace particularly, there are many opportunities that can be used to leverage micro nutrient supplementation among young adolescents. Currently, vitamin A is supplemented during the routine immunization and National Immunization Days (NID) during visiting hours in health clinics. Also, companies producing various household food items such as sugar, salt,and vegetable oils can and should be mandated to fortify them with these trace elements and vitamins. Honey is found in various parts of the country and can be produced in commercial quantities. Families should be encouraged to use honey in place of refined sugar. A little political will is all that is required to achieve these and protect our children from these micro nutrient deficiencies, meager as these conditions could seem can as well escalate into serious medical conditions.

On the other hand, protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is the name given to various degrees of nutritional disorders caused by inadequate quantities of protein and energyin diet. This is one of the most widespread deficiency diseases in Nigeria and covers a broad spectrum ranging from marginal deficiency with loss of weight and poor growth (stunted growth) to a severe deficiency in which the body may have developed such sign as edema or fluid concentration on a body part being appreciated. Such deficiency occurs mainly in children and young adolescents, when they are weaned from mother’s milk and the diet substitute does not supply sufficient protein and energy (Maduagu, 2005). Beyond the health care settings, there is urgent need, therefore, to address the various persistingsocial determinants of PEM in Nigeria, such aspoverty, illiteracy, unemployment, corruption,inequalities, and inequities. According to Odion (2009) opined that, 70% of the over 140million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line of 1 dollar per day. The first goal of themillennium development goal (MDG) iseradication of extreme poverty and hunger, butrecent Africa Development Bank report revealedthat the number of Africans that will be livingbelow the poverty line is intended to project or increase by 2015.

In this work, we shall advocatea major shift in addressing PEM that focusesmore on addressing determinants of health aswell as preventive and health promotionalstrategies at community levels.In essence, malnutrition is more than a medical problem; it could be caused by dysfunctions in economic, demographic, cultural and ecological processes. Inadequacy in the quantity of diet, insufficient intake of one or more nutrients will also lead to malnutrition. Protein “ Energy Malnutrition is noticeable mainly in children between the ages of 9“ 12 years. This is the most crucial stage in the life of any child. School age is a period of rapid growth with high nutrient needs particularly of protein. Children of this age are most vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition resulting from poor weaning practices and food habits, usually termed Protein- Energy Malnutrition (Atinuke, 2002).

According to (WHO, 1948) World Health Organization 150million children aged nine years and above have Protein- Energy Malnutrition, resulting not only in mortality but also in morbidity development. The deficiency diseases associated with protein energy among in-school adolescents are Marasmus and Kwashiorkor. Past efforts at addressing these nutritional problems focused mainly on Nutritional Education, growth monitoring and promotion of correct feeding practices for infants and young children.There are now genetically modified seedlings that can improve yield in somecountries and Nigeria needs to explore this as astrategy to reduce hunger and PEM, especiallyamong its vulnerable population. Moreimportantly, low-income households should beidentified and linked to income generatingactivities which are more sustainable. Thisshould be the priority of the numerous povertyalleviation programs and the micro-financing banks in the country.The problems of hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria have become more severe now than ever before,even though there is lack of information on household food security. This means that 12.7 percent of people in the developing world live at or below 1.90 a day in 2011, down from 37 percent in 1990 and 44 percent in 1981(World hunger and poverty fact and statistics, 2016).

The mainstay in the management of PEM even in hospital setting is diet therapy. There arepackaged high-energy therapeutic foods like F75and F100 being distributed by non-governmentalorganizations such as UNICEF for themanagement of children admitted for severePEM. Similar preparations are made at thevarious hospital settings in Nigeria and go bynames such as high-energy mixture inNigeria. We do not need to wait forour children to develop severe PEM before givingthem food. Mothers can be taught how toprepare such mixtures at home for their childrenusing mentor mothers. Burundi, with theassistance of an international non-governmentalorganization, presents a model of how mentormothers can be used to reduce PEM in acommunity using what they called MamanLumieres (Light Mothers). Nutrition initiativeusing an approach that identifies affordable,culturally acceptable, effective, and sustainablepractices that are already being used byindividuals within communities to prevent malnutrition; by seeing these behaviors, familiesare empowered to adopt better practices evenwith limited resources and access to services.

In many communities about a quarter of all the children die before those are ten years (Worthington, 2004). This is as a result of poor infant and young child feeding practices. The feeding practices of children can be affected by:

Poverty: For example, when parents ˜incomes are limited and they have many children to cater for, they may not be able to feed these children as well.
Lack of education that children need a high protein diet during this period of rapid growth.

This study on Protein-Energy Malnutrition will be designed to benefit the populace in making needed adjustment in the diet of their wards. Past studies have shown that the nutritional status of an adult is dependent on the nutrition at childhood.

Statement of the Problem

In recent years, some children do not get enough right food to eat, they don’t grow well, they get ill, and some die and many do not grow as clever as they should be. Protein-Energy Malnutrition has severe effect on the mental well-being and development of in-school adolescents.

Protein-Energy Malnutrition leads to falling standard of health and schools Performance of school“age adolescents. It is quite high in places where the socio-cultural aspect of food choice and habit is poor. With all efforts made by some nutritionists and federal Ministry of Health to find answers to Protein-Energy Malnutrition, a lot of studies still reveals that malnutrition among in-school adolescents remains an impending concern for public awareness and consumption.This study therefore seeks to find out the influence of Protein-Energy Malnutrition on learning ability of school-age children. The question is: in what ways does malnutrition have influence on mental development of in-school adolescents?

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to find out the influence of Protein-Energy Malnutrition on mental development of in-school adolescents. Specifically, the researcher will attempt to:

Examine to what extenthealthy living and good nutrition help in combating Protein-Energy Malnutrition among in-school adolescents.
Highlight the fundamental needs and roles which time, energy and money play in the nutritional status of in-school adolescents.

Examine the extent to which poor diet affect the physical appearance and cognitive development of in-school adolescents.

Significance of the Study

This research will be designed to determine the influence of Protein-Energy Malnutrition on mental development of in-school adolescents. The study may be significant in the sense that; it might encourage the government and stakeholders to acknowledge the level of malnutrition in Nigeria.

The study may help in the reduction of Kwashiorkor and Marasmus caused by malnourishment. The findings may be of great importance to the school administrators and teachers in detecting children with malnutrition among in-school adolescents..

The findings may also serve as benefits to mothers in nurturing their growing babies into healthy children of school-age. The health workers may find the results useful in determining where nutrition and health education is required.

Research Questions

Answers will be sought for the following research questions;

To what extent does good nutrition help in combating Protein-Energy Malnutrition?
To what extent do the economic and environmental factors affect nutrition of the in-school adolescents?
To what extent does poor nutrition affect the physical appearance in adolescents of school-age?

Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested.

There will be no significant influence of protein energy malnutrition on mental development of in-school adolescents.
Good nutrition and health will have no significant influence on development of protein energy malnutrition among in-school adolescents.
Economic status will have no significant influence on the nutritional outcome of school age adolescents.

Delimitation of the Study

The study will be delimited to the following:

Descriptive survey research design
It will be made up of 100 students and 50 teachers randomly selected from a total of five different junior secondary schools.
Simple random sampling technique will be used.
Questionnaire will be used to obtain relevant data for the study.
Pearson product moment correlation(PPMC)
Students and teachers of five distinctive junior schools will be involved for the purpose of carrying out the study.
Two educational experts from the field of human kinetics and health education is used.
8) Ifakoijaye local government area of Lagos state.

Limitations of the Study

The limitations that might occur during the research work are:

The respondents may not be honest with response to questionnaire.
The exigencies in combining academic workload alongside the research study as a student researcher.
It might not possible for the researcher to cover all such areas. This is because the researcher cannot obtain data from all students due to insufficient time and resources (both human and material resources), therefore solution would be retrieved during the findings at the end of the study.

Definition of Terms

Deficiency: effect rising as a result of the absence of a food nutrients especially in the protein caloric malnutrition.

Kwashiorkor: this is a form of severe protein calorie malnutrition.

Malnutrition: a condition resulting to inadequate intake of food nutrients especially in children.

Marasmus: A form of protein calorie malnutrition caused by a diet in both food and formal-absorption or metabolic disorders.

Mortality: This is a morbid state displaying an unhealthy interest in unpleasant things especially death.

Nutrition: This is the science that studies the various nutrients in relation to their effect or use to the human body.

P.E.M: Protein-Energy Malnutrition

In-school adolescent:Young children between the ages of nine to twelve years.

Weaning: The process of taking a baby off milk diet from the mother and giving him/her other kinds of food.

Project Overview

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