Trudy Simpson, Staff ReporterCHILDREN BETWEEN 12 and 23 months, may be more at risk for developing nutrition-related health problems later in life, as they are still not getting adequate nutrition.
According to the 2001 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, prepared by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), children one to two years old have higher levels of under-nutrition.
"Evidence from some research has also shown that some of these children tend to be the ones who develop chronic non-communicable nutrition-related disorders (obesity, hypertension, diabetes) later in life, as a result of their poor eating habits," added Sharmaine Edwards, programme development officer for nutrition in the Ministry of Health.
She said yesterday that under-nutrition is cause for concern because children have a key "growth spurt" between one and two years old and "at this time, they are (also) switching from breast milk to adult or complementary foods as breast milk is no longer adequate to meet their needs. Unless the complementary foods given are nutritionally adequate in nutrients and energy to meet the needs, then the children will be at risk," she said.
But many parents and caregivers do not know what proper child nutrition is and so feed children food, which does not have adequate nutrients and energy affecting their growth.
"Caregivers are giving them porridge, but it is watery (not having enough nutrients) because they want to give it from the bottle. Porridge should be thick and given in a bowl or a cup. In addition, for snack times, instead of giving fruits or vegetables, they give children items like cheese trix, which has empty calories, bag juice, watery and sweet drinks, syrups and other sweets," Mrs. Edwards lamented.
The lack of adequate energy and nutrients in one to two-year-olds may result in "stunting", meaning that the children's growth process will be affected, making them look small for their age.
The 2001 Survey said that the under-nutrution trend "has been persistent over all the years of the survey and indicates a higher level of risk among this age group."
It added that programmes developed to address the problem in this age group have had limited success and recommended policy and programme shifts.
Mrs. Edwards recommended that caregivers feed children a balanced meal containing food from the six food groups, in addition to breastfeeding, which should continue to two years or beyond, according to recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The six food groups - staples (cereals, bread, yam etc,), foods from animals (chicken, eggs, fish etc.), peas and beans, fruits, vegetables, fats and oils.
"Fat may be added to the thick porridges (to add to the energy density) which should be fed from a cup or bowl using a spoon (and) porridges should not be fed from feeding bottles, which if not cleaned properly may lead to gastroenteritis ('running belly')," she emphasised.
