Contents:
- Medical Video: Seasons and the Sun: Crash Course Kids 11.1
- 1. Inadequate food intake
- 2. Babies born with low birth weight
- 3. Not given exclusive breastfeeding
- 4. Frequent and repeated infectious diseases occur
- 5. Not doing complete basic immunization
- 6. Parenting and mother's knowledge of poor nutrition
- 7. The environment is not clean and sanitation is bad
Medical Video: Seasons and the Sun: Crash Course Kids 11.1
Have you ever noticed your child's height? Is he shorter than friends of his age? Many things that affect the increase in children, such as girls tend to be higher when the age of children but shorter when they are teenagers when compared with boys. If the child's height is very far or quite short compared to children his age, then you must be vigilant. Maybe your child is experiencing stunting or short stature due to chronic malnutrition. Here are some reasons that might cause your child to be shorter than other children:
1. Inadequate food intake
Problems in nutritional status are the main things that cause disruption of child development. Short children, it might be said that nutritional needs to support their growth are not fulfilled. Some nutrients that are important for bone growth are:
Protein, macro nutrients that play a role in building and maintaining body tissues. Protein is also needed for the child's growth process so that children can achieve potential growth. Several studies have shown that children who are given a diet rich in protein, especially animal protein, have an average normal height even higher than their age children. Whereas children who do not get adequate protein intake tend to be shorter.
Zinc or zinc, is one type of micronutrients found in almost all cells and tissues of the body. This micronutrient has an important role in helping to multiply growth cells, and if there is a deficiency it will affect the immune system. The most amount of zinc in the body is in the bones, hair, prostate, and eye parts.
Iron in the body, about 70% is in the form of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin is a substance that functions to distribute food and oxygen throughout the body. Iron is also needed in the growth of children, this is evidenced by a study conducted in Saharawi which showed that iron-deficient children had shorter stature compared to a group of children who had enough iron.
Vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin and has the main function as a guardian of the senses of vision, plays a role in the growth and immune system. One symptom of a deficiency of vitamin A is a disrupted growth process, so that children cannot reach optimal height. Therefore, to reduce the problem of vitamin A deficiency in vulnerable children, supplementation of vitamin A must be obtained by the baby every 1 year 2 times.
2. Babies born with low birth weight
Children born with a body weight below 2500 grams are said to have a low birth weight. Low birth weight is actually a malnutrition condition that occurs even when the baby is still in the womb. This malnutrition continues when the baby is born and ultimately disrupts its growth. Many things cause low birth weight, but most are caused by the diet and lifestyle of the mother when she is pregnant and when she is unhealthy. Therefore, the lifestyle of the mother, even before pregnancy occurs can affect the growth of children until he is a teenager.
3. Not given exclusive breastfeeding
Giving ASI is also an important factor that can determine a child's height increase. Breastmilk is not only good for the baby's immune system, but many studies suggest that breastfed babies, normal nutritional status, have good cognitive and learning abilities. Research conducted in India found that children who were less than normal were mostly not breastfed when they were babies. Breast milk given to babies can also prevent various infectious diseases which can also affect bone growth directly.
4. Frequent and repeated infectious diseases occur
Children, especially children who are under five years old, are very susceptible to infectious diseases because their immune systems are not yet strong. Infections suffered by children will make absorption of nutrients that have been digested from food disturbed. When this happens continuously, this can cause children to lack various nutrients. While nutrients are needed for the child's growth process. Therefore, children who often experience infectious diseases, such as fever, cough, runny nose, diarrhea for a long time and repeatedly can have a shorter height than their friends. This is evidenced by research conducted in Guetemala, that children who often experience intestinal worms, bone growth is inhibited.
5. Not doing complete basic immunization
Do you provide complete basic immunizations to your child? Basic immunization that must be accepted by children under five, that is bacillus calmette guerin (BCG), diphtheria pertussis tetanus–hepatitis b (DPT-HB) or diphtheria pertussis tetanus–hepatitis b-hemophilus influenza type b (DPT-HB-Hib), hepatitis B in newborns, polio and measles. Immunization is one effective way to protect children from various infectious diseases. It has been previously explained that children who experience concomitant infectious diseases tend to have short stature. Therefore, you should give your child a complete basic immunization to maintain his health and nutritional status.
6. Parenting and mother's knowledge of poor nutrition
The mother is the primary caregiver who will care for and care for her child. From feeding, bathing, replacing diapers, and so on. Parenting and poor mother's knowledge of health and nutrition, of course, will have an impact on the health and growth of the baby indirectly. Mothers who have good parenting and knowledge tend to have healthy children and good nutritional status.
7. The environment is not clean and sanitation is bad
The relationship between sanitation and clean living behavior is closely related to the spread of infectious diseases, therefore this is an indirect factor that influences the nutritional status of children. Unclean behavior and poor sanitation indirectly can cause growth disorders in children. This fact is reinforced by case-control studies conducted in rural areas of Mali where sanitation and environmental hygiene are still poor. Rural areas that are provided with good sanitation facilities and knowledge about hygiene are proven to have children with stunting less than rural areas that were not given intervention. In this study it was also stated that the average height according to age in rural areas given higher intervention.
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