Journal of Nutraceuticals and Food Science

Editorial

Malnutrition is characterised as an imbalance between the nutrients the body demands and the nutrients it receives, which can present as either undernutrition or obesity. It can be classified as either protein energy malnutrition or micronutrient deficiency, according to the World Health Organization's definitions. Protein energy malnutrition appears between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, and is caused by irregular or absent breastfeeding, the initiation of low-protein diets, and multiple illnesses. Indicators such as wasting, stunting, being underweight, or obesity are used to quantify it. In the time leading up to the survey, wasting is described as a lack of adequate nutrition. It may be the result of insufficient food consumption or a new infection that caused weight loss and the onset of malnutrition.

Children whose weight-for-height ratio is less than minus three Standard Deviations (-3 SD) population's median are labelled as seriously wasted, whereas those WAZ is less than minus two Standard Deviations (-2 SD) are categorised as wasted. The Height-For-Age (HAZ) index measures linear growth retardation as well as accumulated growth deficits. Children whose HAZ scores are less than minus two standard deviations from the reference population's median are deemed stunted and suffer from chronic malnutrition. When the Z score is less than minus three standard deviations, the infant is considered seriously stunted. Stunting is caused by a long-term lack of proper diet, which is compounded by persistent and chronic disease. HAZ and WAZ combine to form a weight-for-age index. Both acute and chronic starvations are taken into account.

Underweight children are those whose weight-for-age is less than minus two standard deviations from the reference population's median. This research focuses on HAZ groups since stunting is normally considered the most significant measure when assessing malnutrition in infants. The reference population and its median were used to determine the measurement of the associated z ratings.

Excessive fat accumulation in the body, on the other hand, can lead to being overweight or obese. Body Mass Index (BMI), which is the WAZ, is used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine proper weight. When a child's BMI is 25 or higher, he or she is graded as overweight.

Increased health literacy and education among mothers has a positive influence on the nutrition of her children. A child's nutritional status can also be influenced by a variety of other influences. In summary, socio-economic factors such as wealth, race, geographic area, and intra-household parental and child level factors all play a role in children's nutritional status. Various governments around the world are adopting a number of initiatives in order to address this problem. Some are focused campaigns, and others are more general in nature. Recent developments in childhood malnutrition, on the other hand, suggest that there is still a long way to go in eradicating the issue.