Nutrition is a key factor in education and health growth of a nation’ A healthy student is a student production’ Good nutrition is increasingly viewed as an investment in human capital, giving a performance today and tomorrow, while poor nutrition is a treatment of the nation’ The overall loss of productivity in 1990, is caused by four overlapping types of malnutrition and related disorders stunting to iodine deficiency and iron in vitamin A rose to almost 46 million “years disability-free life nutrition raises the benefits of investment in education and health’
The body of a literature review that there is a sharp decline of knowledge in Nigeria from 1980 to previous years’ Some have attributed this decline to malnutrition during the last civil war’ A researcher from a note in the 1980s, Nigeria has the lowest number of engineers from all countries of the Third World’ The teaching of English, the language of instruction beyond primary school, had reached levels that the poor academics have complained about their inability to comprehend written work of students due to inefficiency of communication there are many Quackgrass graduates and workers in the country’ In 1990, the crisis in education is such that it is expected that in coming years, not enough staff to perform essential services in the country’ This requires much attention before the nation for all its lost manpower’ I have these types of problems in two major nutritional factors, the problem of undernutrition and malnutrition’ The purpose of this editorial is to examine the impact of nutrition on the present and the past and the steps taken to end the situation’ It will offer some solutions to the problem’
Nutritional problems:
Nigeria as a country is characterized by two main problems of nutrition including micronutrient malnutrition’ Others have little impact and May are reserved for the moment’
Malnutrition is characterized by lack of intake of macronutrients’ It often begins in utero and in May throughout the life cycle’ It also covers the generations’ Malnutrition occurs during pregnancy, childhood and adolescence, and has accumulated a negative effect on birth weight of future babies’ A baby who has suffered an intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) as a fetus is actually born malnourished and more likely to die in infancy’ The consequences of their birth to adulthood are suffering from malnutrition’ During infancy and early childhood, frequent infections or enlargement, and lack of nutrients (particularly energy, iron, protein, vitamin A and zinc) to add the contribution of May IUGR and normal preschool stunting’ The situation in Nigeria, infant after the period of exclusive breastfeeding followed by weaning which consist smear, Akamu, Ogi and Koko made of corn (Zee mays), millet (Pennisetum americanum), or guinea corn (Sorghum spp’ )’ People with low incomes rarely feeding meat, eggs or fish to their children because of socio-economic factors, taboos, and ignorance’
In the state of Anambra, Nigeria, an observation that Agu slurry containing only 0′5% protein and less than 1% fat, compared with 9% protein and 4% fat in corn’ This is usually due to lack of treatment’ Omotola Akinele and research of energy and protein intake of infants and children from low income’ It was reported that almost one third to half of the children were subjected to various degrees of malnutrition and 10% were lost and stunted’ A more recent national survey conducted by the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 1990 placed the proportion of children under five years (less than 2SD of weight for age) to 36% of which 12% shortfall grave’ (below -3 SD)’ The prevalence of stunting (below 2 SD height for age) was 43% including 22% of severe stunting (below 3SD), whereas the levels of severe wasting and losing 9% and 2 % respectively’ In 1986, State of Ondo, Nigeria, the DHS survey of children 6 to 36 months is 28% prevalence of underweight, 32% for stunting, and 7% of wasting’
For adults and older children, it is usually possible to achieve an adequate intake of protein for energy by increasing the daily intake of starchy foods with low nutrient density’ For infants and toddlers, however, the volume of the traditional diet may be too great to allow the child to eat all the food necessary to meet their energy needs’ A baby aged four to six months of oats 920g of corn to meet the daily needs of energy (740 kcal) and protein (13G)’ It is an impossible task, given the size of the stomach, actually’
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo President observer reason is that nearly half of all children 7-13 years in Nigeria are still underweight’ Many children and adults go to bed hungry and some take one meal a day, which consists mainly of carbohydrates’
Micronutrients is another hard nut to break into the field of nutrition’ It is the lack of intake of key vitamins and minerals’ It can be seen between rural and urban populations in Nigeria’ The lack of vitamins and minerals due to the depreciation of the child irreversible physical and mental development’ In addition to the indirect effects on the mother, micronutrient deficiency during pregnancy has serious consequences for the developing fetus’ IDD can cause damage to the brain of the fetus or the birth (mental retardation, delayed motor development) and growth retardation’ Iodine deficiency during fetal development and childhood has been shown to lower IQ by 10-15 points’ Foliage in May due to deficiency in the neural tube or other birth defects and premature birth as well as iron deficiency anemia and vitamin A in May have significant implications for the future children of the risks of morbidity and mortality, vision, cognitive development to reduce their ability to concentrate and participate fully in school and social interaction and development’ States that 40% of children under 5 years suffer from a deficiency of vitamin A’ It is the main cause inevitable, severe visual impairment and blindness in children’ The most vulnerable is a high percentage of preschoolers and pregnant women are anemic’ These two problems are huge nutritional situation in Nigeria has a great impact on the economy and social life of the country’
THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION EDUCATION:
Nutrition is a dynamic and synergistic relationship of economic growth through education’ Behrman cites three studies suggest that by facilitating cognitive achievement, child nutrition and schooling can raise wages’ In the womb, infant nutrition and children’s later achievement in cognitive and learning capabilities during the school year, ultimately increasing the quality of education acquired as a child, d ‘adolescents and adults’ Education of parents affected in utero nutrition of infants and children directly through the quality of care (especially mothers) and indirectly by increasing household incomes’ Development of human capital, mainly through education, has received deserved attention as a key to economic development, early childhood nutrition has not been necessary to focus on a facilitator of education and human capital development’
Recent research shows that early childhood, nutrition plays a key role in the cognitive achievement, ability and focus on the end, the welfare of households’ For example, proteins – malnutrition (PEM), the deficit, as evidenced by the stunted growth is linked to lower cognitive development and school performance, low birth weight is associated with cognitive impairment, iodine deficiency in pregnant women have a negative impact on the mental development of children can cause delayed maturation and decreased intellectual performance, iron deficiency can cause impairment of future competitors and learning ability’ This goes a long way to prove that nutrition has a significant impact on the national education system that Nigeria was fully experience this horrible impact on the present and future’
THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION ON THE GROWTH OF HEALTH:
A nation’s health is a rich country’ Nutrition has a major impact on all nations to grow as we see the situation in Nigeria’ Inadequate consumption of protein and energy, as well as deficiencies in key micronutrients such as iodine, vitamin A and iron are also key factors in the morbidity and mortality in children and adults’ The lives of malnourished children with disabilities and weakened immune systems’
In addition, malnutrition is associated with the disease and ill health, which imposes an additional burden on families and health care systems’ Disease affects a development from an early age’ Gastroenteritis, respiratory infections and malaria are the most frequent and severe and can affect development in the first three years of life’ Factions affect children’s development by reducing their food intake, resulting in the loss of nutrients, or demand more and more nutrients, due to fever’
Malnutrition also plays an important role in the morbidity among adults’ The relationship between chronic disease morbidity and mortality, on the one hand, and a high body mass index (BMI), on the other hand, has been recognized and studied in developed countries, mainly for the purpose of determining risk life insurance’ A study of men and women in Nigeria have shown mortality rates from a chronic deficit of energy of people who are slightly, moderately and well below the 40, 140 and 150 percent higher than non-persons with chronic energy deficit’
Lack of micronutrients also contributes significantly to the burden of disease’ Iron deficiency is associated with malaria, intestinal parasitic infections and chronic infections’ Chronic iodine deficiency causes goiter in adults and children and also affect mental health’ Vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of serious illness and death of childhood infections, particularly diarrheal diseases and measles’ In areas where vitamin A deficiency, children are on average 50 percent more likely to suffer from acute measles’ A UN report says that improving the vitamin A have been in reducing mortality among children aged one to five’
ASSESSMENT OF PAST AND CURRENT EFFORTS:
There were bold steps to find a solution by the government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to eliminate malnutrition and its effects both reacted in the past and present, although some AVERE aborted due to bad governance and economic decline that characterized the decade of 1980 to find this in chronological order’ In 1983 the U’ S’ Agency for International Development (USAID) began providing assistance to Nigeria in the Federal and State Ministries of Health to develop and implement programs for family planning and child survival’ It focused on three areas, but particularly in government and social services’ Also focused on growth and catalyst for the influence of NGOs working in the community and support national health care and democratization’ USAID committed $ 135 million in bilateral aid programs for the period from 1986 to 1996 that Nigeria has successfully undertaken a structural adjustment program, but later abandoned’ Consider release of $ 150 million in assistance from 1993 to 2000 were interrupted by strains in the United States on Nigeria for human rights violations, the failure of the transition to democracy, and “a lack of cooperation from the government of Nigeria on issues of combating drug trafficking’ In mid-1990 to these issues, with a consequent reduction in the ID that could benefit the U’S’ military’
In 1987, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), principal investigator in the context of Dr’ Kenton Dashiell, launched an ambitious effort in this country to combat malnutrition’ Encourage the economical use of nutrients in the diet of soy’ He also said that the soybean is about 40% of common protein-rich vegetables or all foods of animal origin in Africa’ With the addition of corn, rice and other cereals for the soy protein fulfills the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’ Soy also contains approximately 20% oil, which is 85% unsaturated and cholesterol free’ Although the program is good for the alleviation of malnutrition began at the time, many thorns hindered its economic performance during this period’
The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987 found there were 3 million cases of Guinea worm in Nigeria by about 2 percent of the world’s 140 million cases in the nation of Nigeria with the largest number of cases dracunculiasis’ In affected areas, and complications of Guinea worm is estimated that the main cause of absenteeism from work and school’
In August 1987, the federal government launched its plan for primary health care (PHC), including President Ibrahim Babangida announced that a cornerstone of health policy’ Intended to affect the entire national population, its main objectives include the acceleration of development of health personnel, improving the delivery and monitoring of health data, ensuring availability of essential drugs in all country regions, the implementation Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), improvement of nutrition in the country, promoting the health of a national health promotion and the family to the widespread dehydration of the oral treatment of diarrhea in infants and children’
President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002, meets with President of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) committed to support greater coordination of activities and nutrition programs in Nigeria, adding that the high prevalence of malnutrition is totally unacceptable to this government and said the president IUNS that would do everything possible to ensure that resources are available to improve household food security and improved access to health services and better care for mothers, including the ability to care for breastfeeding promotion’
In the September 27 2005 Nigerian President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Nasarawa State déjeuné the school feeding program in elementary school Laming’ The program is fully funded and administered by the state of Nasarawa, which makes it a unique model in Africa today’ The event is the period in respect of any of the promises in the fight against malnutrition, especially among children observers noted that many of them at age 7 years 13 years less than the normal one’ It also undertakes to reach approximately 27 million children in the next 10 years’ NAFDAC also contribute to the arrest of the issues of malnutrition through the development and evaluation of adequate food and medicine in the country’
Other international agencies and NGOs including the World Bank and the Fund for Development, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP), the African Development Bank, the Ford and Mc Arthur Foundation etc’ They all contribute their own resources, the nations to improve health and nutrition’
CONCLUSION:
The biggest solution to nutrition can be captured in this slogan, the catch of young children are most vulnerable to malnutrition in utero and before they reach the age of three years, as the rate of growth faster than announced are more dependent on others for care during this period’ However, nutrition interventions, such as school feeding program, which commenced in Nasarawa State among children of school age are also important for strengthening the capacity of learning’ Training and education in nutrition is very important’ Nutrition education can easily integrate the programs into primary health care’ The program of child survival in Africa, has reduced the high prevalence of malnutrition in many parts of the case and the result of malnutrition of the economic loss of malnutrition are as a percentage of total losses from all causes: progress in productivity, the 10-15% advance of GDP,% – 10%’
The government should also use the media to create the necessary attention if necessary’ The government should also try to reach people in rural areas have less access to the variety of public interventions’ In addition, improved nutrition is especially potent against the intervention, which can be achieved at low cost and has an impact throughout life’ Investing in nutrition is one of the best options for economic growth and a better life’