Balanced diet vital for health of expectant mothers, children
Feb 10, 2008
A recent study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was published January 16 in the British health journal. The Lancet points at undernutrition in mothers and children as the cause of more than 35% of all child deaths and 11% of the global disease burden.
By Sylvia Nabanoba
A recent study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was published January 16 in the British health journal. The Lancet points at undernutrition in mothers and children as the cause of more than 35% of all child deaths and 11% of the global disease burden.
The study says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die unnecessarily each year in poor countries due to undernutrition, and millions more are permanently disabled by the physical and mental effects of a poor dietary intake in the earliest months of life.
Most of the deaths are inflicted indirectly by stunting and poor resistance to disease and two of the biggest culprits are lack of vitamin A and Zinc during the mother’s pregnancy and the child’s first two years of life, the researchers say. Uganda is one of the 10 countries singled out as requiring immediate action regarding under five mortality.
Undernutrition and malnutrition are serious threats to maternal and child health. Last year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation reported that about seven million Ugandans are malnourished. Malnutrition is a silent killer because it is not easily diagnosed and thus weakens childrens’ immune system to other infections, increases severity of illness and impedes recovery. A sick child, in turn, can quickly become malnourished.
A healthy diet is necessary for maternal, newborn and child health. Pre-pregnancy nutrition is important because of the amount of resources childbirth requires. Scientists say the process of pre-pregnancy nutrition is a process of building up the immune system in preparation for pregnancy, and is one of the major factors in determining the success rate of conceiving healthy children.
Eating the right foods during pregnancy is very beneficial both for the baby and the mother. Babies need good nutrition right from the beginning because much of the foetus’ essential growth takes place in the first few weeks of pregnancy.
Starting April 2009, the British government will be giving expectant mothers £190 (about sh627,000) for fruit and vegetables to help ensure their children are born healthy.
Vegetables and fruits provide the best source of many vitamins and minerals, including foliate and iron, which are important to prevent women becoming anaemic during pregnancy. Free money for fruit and vegetables may not be possible for our women but Uganda has an abundance of fruit and vegetables, and mothers need to have information that these, and many other foods, are important for them and their babies.
Proper nutrition is similarly important after delivery to help the mother recover, and to provide enough food energy and nutrients for breast-feeding.
Many women are not aware of the implications of a healthy diet on their babies’ health, which is why it is important to attend antenatal clinics where they will be advised on what to eat and what to avoid. For example, alcohol and cigarettes are not advisable in an expectant mother’s diet. When one goes for antenatal check-ups, they may also get folic acid and iron supplements, which the mother needs to take according to the doctor’s advice.
These check-ups also pay attention to the mother’s blood pressure, blood levels and the baby’s progress, all of which contribute to ensuring that mothers and children are safe. Mothers are also given Vitamin A after birth, and the same vitamin is later given to the child.
At the end of the day, as the researchers say, both parents need to know that giving a child a solid nutritional start has an impact for life on his or her physical, mental and social development.
The writer is a media liaison officer at the Population Secretariat
A recent study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was published January 16 in the British health journal. The Lancet points at undernutrition in mothers and children as the cause of more than 35% of all child deaths and 11% of the global disease burden.
The study says more than 3.5 million mothers and children under five die unnecessarily each year in poor countries due to undernutrition, and millions more are permanently disabled by the physical and mental effects of a poor dietary intake in the earliest months of life.
Most of the deaths are inflicted indirectly by stunting and poor resistance to disease and two of the biggest culprits are lack of vitamin A and Zinc during the mother’s pregnancy and the child’s first two years of life, the researchers say. Uganda is one of the 10 countries singled out as requiring immediate action regarding under five mortality.
Undernutrition and malnutrition are serious threats to maternal and child health. Last year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation reported that about seven million Ugandans are malnourished. Malnutrition is a silent killer because it is not easily diagnosed and thus weakens childrens’ immune system to other infections, increases severity of illness and impedes recovery. A sick child, in turn, can quickly become malnourished.
A healthy diet is necessary for maternal, newborn and child health. Pre-pregnancy nutrition is important because of the amount of resources childbirth requires. Scientists say the process of pre-pregnancy nutrition is a process of building up the immune system in preparation for pregnancy, and is one of the major factors in determining the success rate of conceiving healthy children.
Eating the right foods during pregnancy is very beneficial both for the baby and the mother. Babies need good nutrition right from the beginning because much of the foetus’ essential growth takes place in the first few weeks of pregnancy.
Starting April 2009, the British government will be giving expectant mothers £190 (about sh627,000) for fruit and vegetables to help ensure their children are born healthy.
Vegetables and fruits provide the best source of many vitamins and minerals, including foliate and iron, which are important to prevent women becoming anaemic during pregnancy. Free money for fruit and vegetables may not be possible for our women but Uganda has an abundance of fruit and vegetables, and mothers need to have information that these, and many other foods, are important for them and their babies.
Proper nutrition is similarly important after delivery to help the mother recover, and to provide enough food energy and nutrients for breast-feeding.
Many women are not aware of the implications of a healthy diet on their babies’ health, which is why it is important to attend antenatal clinics where they will be advised on what to eat and what to avoid. For example, alcohol and cigarettes are not advisable in an expectant mother’s diet. When one goes for antenatal check-ups, they may also get folic acid and iron supplements, which the mother needs to take according to the doctor’s advice.
These check-ups also pay attention to the mother’s blood pressure, blood levels and the baby’s progress, all of which contribute to ensuring that mothers and children are safe. Mothers are also given Vitamin A after birth, and the same vitamin is later given to the child.
At the end of the day, as the researchers say, both parents need to know that giving a child a solid nutritional start has an impact for life on his or her physical, mental and social development.
The writer is a media liaison officer at the Population Secretariat