The Causes and Effects of Malnutrition Among Children Aged One to Fifteen Years: A Case Study of Oredo Local Government Area in Edo State

The Causes and Effects of Malnutrition Among Children Aged One to Fifteen Years: A Case Study of Oredo Local Government Area in Edo State

Chapter One

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The benefits that could be derived from the outcome of the research work are as follows:

1. It will provide useful information to parents on how best to provide the necessary nutrition to their children.
2. Identification of the causes of poor nutrition on children and the implementation of the recommendations suggestion by various nutritional bodies will lead to better and healthy generation.
3. The result of the research work will be important to parents, government, advisers on child right and well being and education planners.
4. Lastly, this research work tends to make her findings and recommendations a good starting point for the investigation in related field in the near future.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is based on the prevailing situation of children under the ages of fifteen years in Oredo local government area of Edo State. The scope is going to cover some selected villages in the locality.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN  

It is a clear fact that, the development of the brain greatly depend on how well nourished the child is at his early stage of life when development is still on. Hack’s (2001) while studying children under 12 years of age in developing countries where he measured intellectual quotient (IQ) showed that, children who are malnourished had a low academic performance, higher rate of retardation. Boivim (2003) while studying school children in Zaire, African, said at school age, poor nourished children were more fidgeting or active were more anxious and less happy. They also had a poor attention span. He concluded that poor nourished children performed less well than control in terms if academic. In conclusion and Mexico, pregnant women were given nutritional supplement and then their offspring were also supplemented for three more years. The supplemented children showed concurrent again in cognitive and cadmic performance as compared with less supplemented children.

However, at 7 years of age, supplemented boys had significant higher score in rest than non supplemented boys. Although there was no different in girls. At ten (10) years of age, supplemented children had higher scores than non supplemented children. At 11-24 years of age the children were reassessed and the supplemented children were found to have wild ranging benefits in test of numerical knowledge vocabulary and reading achievement (Herrera and Mora, 2001). School chidlren should be given priority in terms of nutritional supplement to improve their performance in school from the kindergarten to the university level.

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

DATA ANALYSIS

The data collected were arranged carefully and examined in a simple percentage. This was done by calculating the percentage of the total number of respondnets to the questionnaires administered. The formula for the calculation is

R/TS x 100/1

Where R = Number of respondnets

TS = Total sum of questionnaires administered

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS

Table 1: Anti-natal/post natal and chidlren development

S/N	QUESTION	RESPONDENTS	NO	%
1	During pregnancy did you/your wife go for anti-natal care?	Yes No Total	57 43 100	57% 43% 100%
2	If yes how often did you/your wife to for the care?	Regularly Once in 3 months Rarely Total	24 18   15 57	42.1% 31.6%   26.3% 100%
3	How well is your chidlren growing in respect to their age?	Slow Well Very well Total	32 50 18 100	32% 50% 18% 100%
4	Do your children carryout their domestic work effectively?	Yes No Total	68 32 100	68% 32% 100%

From the table above, it is observed that 57%ofnpregnant women go for the anti-natal care while 43% of the pregnant women do not go for anti-natal care at all which shows that a higher percentage of women go for anti-natal care, 24 of them which make up 42.1% of the respondnets attend this medical care regularly, 18 of them which make up 31.6% attend once in 3 months, while only 15 of them making up 26.3% attend on rate occasion. This indicate that, majority of women who go for anti-natal care do not do so regularly i.e. 31.6% in once in months and 26.3% rarely making up 57.9% of the respondents.

On the children growth in respect to their age, 32 of them making up of 32% of the total respondnets agreed that their children growth is slow 50 of them making up 50% of the total respondnets say that chidlren growth is well in regard to their age, while 18 of them which make up 18% of the respondnets agreed that their children growth rate is very well in accordance with their age. On how well chidlren carryout their domestic work effectively, 68 parents making 65% of the total respondnets say they do it effectively, while 32 making 32% say they do not carry out their domestic work effectively.

Table 2: Poor nutritional and child central

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS  

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on finding and response, which occurred in the questionnaires, the following recommendations were made:

1. Primary health center should be established in all the villages so as to enable the women to have easy access to anti-natal care during pregnancy.
2. The government should institute programme to improve children’s nutritional status such programmes fifteen years of life.
3. The local government should integrate childcare and psychological intervention in all wards of the local government.
4. Parents should endeavour to undertake education so as to enable them to know ways of improving the child nutritional value.
5. High rate of poverty is also linked with poor nutrition. So good job opportunity salary scale should be provided to boost parent socio-economic status.
6. Schools should have nutritional supplementation centres, so that poor nourished children can be supplemented to improve their academic pursuit.
7. A similar study should be carried out in another part of the state or country to authenticate or refuse the findings. Furthermore, other researchers should carryout more research on topics like.
8. Causes of endemic malaria
9. Development of children who suffer from repeated infection etc.

REFERENCES

• Scat K. e. (2006) the state of the world children oxford university press New York.
• UNESCO (2003) infection disease and basic education initiative parasitol today.
• UNICEF (2007) anthropometrics reference data for international use. Recommendations from UNICEF expent committee J. C. Cliu Nutri.
• Water low and Rutishauser: grow2th and development of fall term non asphyxiated small for gestation alaye newborn follow up through Adolescence pediatrics.
• WHO (1998) the incidence of low birth weight: update wkly epidermal rec.
• WHO (2003) A victor control of malarias and other mosquito borne disease. Report of WHO study group technical report Geneva.
• WHO (2005) malnutrition is cheating it survivors and Africa future article in the New York times.
• www.ogpile.comeffect of nutrition deficiencies retrieved 2008.
• www.promo.org food watch setback in the war against hunger retrieved (2008)
• Outchor (1990) journal on nutrition oxford university press. New York.

PARENTS QUESTIONNAIRES

Dear respondents,

The following questions are intended to be used for the improvement of children nutrition in this local government area. Please kindly supply frank and precise answers to the question, as your response will be treated with strict confidentially.

Read each of the question very well and indicate your response by ticking (   ) in the bracket provided. Your cooperation is highly needed and thank for giving it out.

SECTION A

Sex: male (   ) female (   )

Name of village: Ikpokpan (   ) Ettete (   ) Agbado (   ) Ogba (   ) Ogbe (   )

Marital status: single (   ) married (   ) single parents (   )

No of children: below 5 (   ) 6-10 (   ) above 10 (   )

SECTION B

1. During pregnancy do you/your wife got for anti-natal care? Yes (   ) No (   )
2. If yes, how often do you/your wife go for the care? Regularly (  ) once  in three months (   ) rarely (  )
3. How well are your children growing in respect to their age? Slow (   ) well (   ) very well (  )
4. Do your children carryout their domestic work effectively? Yes (   )       No (   )
5. How often do you give your children proteinous food like, meat, milk, egg, beans and fish? Not regularly (  ) often (  ) very often (   )
6. How often do you give your children carbohydrates food like, rice, yam, garri, sugar, and cocoyam? Not regular (   ) often (   ) very often (  )
7. How often do you give you’re your children vegetables food like tomatoes, pepper, onion, green vegetables? Not regular (   )              regular (   ) very regular (  )
8. How often do you give your children fruits? Occasionally (   )           always (   ) not at all (   )