WHO: Stunted growth - Chapter 2: What causes it?

Summary

The main causes of stunting are linked to poor maternal health, inadequate breastfeeding, infection, and household poverty. Poor nutrition during pregnancy leads to low birth weight and neonatal health risks. Factors like maternal infections, adolescent pregnancies, closely-spaced births, and inadequate nutrition contribute to stunting. The introduction of complementary foods at six months is crucial for growth, yet poor feeding practices and unsafe food conditions hinder development. Infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and pneumonia, exacerbate stunting. Breastfeeding and hygiene play essential roles in preventing stunting and promoting child health.

Takeaways

• 🏠 **Household Factors**: Stunting is primarily caused by factors within the household, such as poor maternal nutrition and health.
• 🤱 **Breastfeeding**: Inadequate breastfeeding contributes to limited growth, emphasizing the importance of proper maternal nutrition during pregnancy.
• 👶 **First 1000 Days**: The risk of stunting is closely linked to the mother's health during the first 1000 days of the child's life.
• 🤰 **Maternal Health**: Maternal infections like malaria, intestinal worms, or HIV/AIDS can increase the risk of stunting.
• 👧 **Intergenerational Cycle**: Girls who are undernourished can perpetuate the cycle by giving birth to low-weight babies and struggling with breastfeeding.
• 🍚 **Complementary Foods**: After six months, infants require more nutrients than breast milk alone, necessitating the introduction of complementary foods.
• 💰 **Household Poverty**: Poverty often leads to inadequate or low-quality diets, impacting a child's growth and development.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 **Caregiver Neglect**: Neglect or absence of caregivers can result in inadequate feeding and limited opportunities for play and learning.
• 🚿 **Hygiene Practices**: Poor household hygiene and sanitation can lead to infections that hinder growth.
• 🍽️ **Proper Feeding**: WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and continued breastfeeding up to 2 years or more.
• 🦠 **Infectious Diseases**: Infectious diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria can lead to stunting by causing malnutrition and poor nutrient absorption.

Q & A

What is stunting and what causes it?

Stunting refers to impaired growth and development in children, typically measured by low height for age. It is caused by factors such as poor maternal nutrition and health, inadequate breastfeeding, infection, and household poverty.

How does a mother's nutrition impact fetal growth?

Poor maternal nutrition limits the growth of the fetus, which in turn increases the risk of neonatal death and sets the stage for stunting.

What is the significance of the first 1,000 days in a child's life?

The first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, are critical for a child's growth and development. Maternal health during this period greatly influences the risk of stunting.

How can infections during pregnancy affect a child's growth?

Infections such as malaria, intestinal worms, or HIV/AIDS in the mother can increase the risk of low birth weight and preterm delivery, which are associated with stunting.

What is the intergenerational cycle of poor health mentioned in the script?

The intergenerational cycle of poor health refers to the pattern where undernourished girls become mothers who are unable to provide adequate nutrition to their children, perpetuating the cycle of stunting.

Why is breastfeeding crucial for an infant's growth?

Breastfeeding provides essential nutrients and growth stimulators, and it improves a baby's immunity against infections, reducing the risk of illness and supporting growth.

What is the recommended breastfeeding practice according to WHO?

WHO recommends initiating breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfeeding infants until they are 6 months old, and continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

How does inadequate complementary feeding affect a child's growth?

Inadequate complementary feeding, such as not providing enough energy and nutrients beyond breast milk after six months, can lead to poor growth and development.

What role do household poverty and food quality play in stunting?

Household poverty often results in children not receiving enough or the right types of food, leading to low-quality diets that lack essential nutrients necessary for growth.

How can poor hygiene and sanitation contribute to stunting?

Poor hygiene and sanitation can lead to infections like diarrhea, which hinder growth. Additionally, contaminated food and water can cause illnesses that impede a child's growth.

What is the impact of infectious diseases on child growth?

Infectious diseases such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria can lead to wasting and inflammation, impairing a child's ability to absorb nutrients effectively and thus adversely affecting growth.

Outlines

00:00

👶 Causes and Prevention of Stunting in Early Childhood

Stunting in children is primarily caused by factors within the household and family, such as poor maternal nutrition and health, inadequate breastfeeding, and infections. These factors can be modified to improve child growth. Maternal health during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days after birth is crucial for preventing stunting. Infections like malaria, intestinal worms, or HIV/AIDS in the mother can increase the risk. Additionally, hypertension during pregnancy can lead to complications affecting birth weight and delivery. Closely-spaced pregnancies deplete nutrient reserves, perpetuating a cycle of poor health across generations. Caregiver neglect or absence can hinder growth and development. Household poverty often results in inadequate nutrition, and the need for complementary foods after six months is critical. Inadequate practices such as infrequent feeding and non-responsive feeding can impede growth. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, continuing until the child is at least 2 years old, to reduce the risk of diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea.

05:02

🌡️ Impact of Infections on Child Growth and Strategies for Healthy Development

Infections, particularly diarrheal diseases, respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, malaria, and intestinal worms, significantly impact child growth and can lead to stunting. Severe infections can cause wasting, which is detrimental to a child's linear growth, especially if there is insufficient nutrition to support recovery. Repeated exposure to microbes through poor hygiene and unclean environments can lead to subclinical infections and inflammation, causing intestinal damage and impairing nutrient absorption. To ensure proper growth, it is crucial to maintain hygiene practices, such as hand-washing with soap and ensuring sanitary conditions, which minimize the risk of infections that can hinder growth.

Keywords

💡Stunting

Stunting refers to the impaired growth and development that children experience when they do not receive adequate nutrition, healthcare, and a healthy environment during their early years. In the context of the video, stunting is a significant issue because it is linked to long-term developmental and health problems. The script mentions that stunting is caused by factors within the household, such as poor maternal nutrition and health, inadequate breastfeeding, and infections.

💡Maternal Nutrition

Maternal nutrition is the intake of nutrients by a mother during pregnancy and lactation, which is crucial for the health of both the mother and the developing fetus. The video emphasizes that poor maternal nutrition can limit fetal growth and increase the risk of neonatal death, highlighting the importance of proper nutrition for the prevention of stunting.

💡Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the practice of feeding an infant with milk directly from the mother's breast. The video script underscores the importance of breastfeeding for the first 6 months of an infant's life, as it provides essential nutrients and growth stimulators that help prevent stunting. It also mentions that inadequate breastfeeding can contribute to limited growth.

💡Infections

Infections, such as malaria, intestinal worms, and diseases like HIV or AIDS, can have a detrimental impact on child growth and development. The script explains that these infections can hinder growth by causing inflammation and intestinal damage, which impairs a child's ability to absorb nutrients effectively.

💡First 1,000 Days

The 'first 1,000 days' refers to the critical period from conception to a child's second birthday, during which proper nutrition and care are vital for growth and development. The video script highlights that the risk of stunting is closely linked to the mother's health during this period, emphasizing the importance of maternal care for preventing stunting.

💡Caregiver Neglect

Caregiver neglect refers to the lack of proper care and attention provided by parents or guardians to children. The video script mentions that caregiver neglect or absence can lead to inadequate feeding and limited opportunities for play and learning, which are essential for a child's growth and development.

💡Household Poverty

Household poverty is the economic state of a family lacking the means to afford basic needs. The script discusses how poverty can lead to children not receiving enough food or the right types of food, which is a significant factor contributing to stunting. It also touches on the challenge of providing complementary foods to breast milk due to financial constraints.

💡Complementary Foods

Complementary foods are additional foods given to infants, in addition to breast milk, to meet their growing nutritional needs after six months of age. The video script explains that combining breastfeeding with complementary foods like cereals, fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods is a solution to prevent stunting by ensuring the infant receives adequate energy and nutrients.

💡Inadequate Practices

Inadequate practices refer to improper feeding methods that can hinder a child's growth and development. The script cites examples such as feeding infrequently, giving excessively diluted foods, and providing insufficient quantities of food, which can contribute to stunting by not meeting the child's nutritional needs.

💡Hygiene Practices

Hygiene practices, such as hand-washing with soap and ensuring sanitary conditions, are crucial for preventing infections that can hinder growth. The video script emphasizes that maintaining proper household hygiene can minimize the risk of infections like diarrhea, which can impede a child's growth.

💡WHO Recommendations

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides guidelines and recommendations for infant and young child feeding, including the initiation of breastfeeding and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. The script cites WHO recommendations, advocating for breastfeeding within one hour of birth and continuing until the child is at least 2 years old, to ensure proper nutrition and reduce the risk of stunting.

Highlights

Poor maternal nutrition, health, and infection contribute to stunting and limited growth.

Poor fetal growth increases the risk of neonatal death within the first 1,000 days.

Maternal infections like malaria, intestinal worms, or HIV increase the risk of stunting in children.

Pregnancy during adolescence creates competition for nutrients between the mother and fetus.

Closely-spaced pregnancies deplete a mother's nutrient reserves, creating an intergenerational cycle of poor health.

Household poverty limits access to nutritious food, contributing to stunting and inadequate growth.

Starting at six months, infants require complementary foods like cereals, vegetables, and proteins alongside breastfeeding.

Low access to diverse, high-quality foods leads to low-quality diets, affecting children's growth.

Inadequate feeding practices, such as feeding infrequently or providing diluted food, contribute to poor nourishment.

Poor household hygiene practices, such as improper handwashing, increase the risk of infections that hinder growth.

Inadequate food storage and contamination with environmental pollutants can lead to infections and stunting.

WHO recommends breastfeeding within one hour of birth, continuing exclusively for six months, and supporting breastfeeding until two years or older.

Infants not breastfed have a significantly higher risk of dying from pneumonia and diarrhea.

Severe infections like pneumonia, malaria, and intestinal worms can lead to stunting and long-term growth issues.

Repeated exposure to microbes and poor hygiene causes subclinical infections and intestinal damage, impairing nutrient absorption.

Transcripts

what causes stunting the main causes of

stunting are found within the household

and family poor maternal nutrition and

health inadequate breastfeeding and

infection all contribute to limited

growth all these factors can be modified

the question is how as life begins in

the room a developing embryo relies on

the food consumed by their mother to

fuel growth and this continues after

birth through breastfeeding poor

maternal nutrition limits the growth of

the fetus poor fetal growth in turn

increases the risk of neonatal death

in the first 1,000 days the risk of

stunting is closely linked to the

mother's health the likelihood of

stunting for the baby increases if the

mother is infected with malaria

intestinal worms or HIV or AIDS women

suffering from hypertension during

pregnancy may have complications that

increase the risk of low birth weight

and preterm delivery pregnancy in a

dulcis creates competition for nutrients

between the still growing mother and her

fetus closely-spaced

pregnancies also deplete a mother's

nutrient reserves and so begins an

intergenerational cycle of poor health

girls are undernourished at birth

stunted during childhood pregnant during

adolescence overworked during pregnancy

they give birth to low weight babies and

are unable to breastfeed optimally

caregiver neglect or absence can lead to

inadequate feeding and few opportunities

for the child to play and learn all of

which impede growth and development

household poverty often means that

children don't get enough to eat or the

right types of food

starting at six months of age an

infant's need for energy and nutrients

exceeds what can be provided by breast

milk alone the solution is to combine

breastfeeding with complementary foods

such as cooked cereals and other staples

mashed fruits and vegetables pulses milk

products and eggs fish and meat where

there is low access to a variety of

foods or if high quality foods are too

expensive

many children end up with low-quality

diets for instance eating little or no

foods from animal sources such as milk

products eggs and meat inadequate

practices include feeding infrequently

giving excessively diluted foods

providing insufficient quantities of

food and non-responsive feeding where

the caregiver does not actively feed and

interact with a child in ways that

enhance in both Norrish meant and

nurturing in households where both the

mother and father work outside of the

home having to rely on neighbors or

other family members may limit their

ability to adequately feed their

children unsafe food and water

contaminated by environmental pollutants

or mica toxins that is harmful chemicals

produced by fungi in food crops can lead

to infections which hinder growth

household hygiene practices such as

hand-washing with soap using clean water

and assuring sanitary conditions

minimize the risk of infections like

diarrhea which stop children from

growing properly

if foods are stored in the open or in

unclean containers or are left at

temperatures that allow for bacteria to

grow they can make children sick and

impede their growth so how do you give

babies the proper start once they are

born whu-oh recommends that women start

breastfeeding within one hour of birth

exclusively breastfeed their infants

until 6 months of age and continue

breastfeeding until they reach 2 years

of age or older infants less than 6

months old who are not breastfed are 15

times more likely to die from pneumonia

and 11 times more likely to die from

diarrhea only 38% of infants under the

age of 6 months are exclusively

breastfed in the world today infants who

start breastfeeding immediately after

birth and are exclusively breastfed in

the first 6 months enjoys sound

nutrition mother's milk contains natural

growth stimulators and provides the baby

with improved immunity against

infections appropriate breastfeeding

thus reduces the risk of illness

for growth another cause of stunting is

infectious diarrheal disease respiratory

illnesses such as pneumonia malaria and

intestinal worms are known to adversely

impact child growth severe infectious

disease can lead to wasting which occurs

when a child weighs is low for their

height this can have longer-term

consequences on linear growth especially

if there is insufficient feeding to

support recovery for example it has been

estimated that experiencing five or more

episodes of diarrhea before age two is

the main cause of stunting for 25% of

affected children repeated exposure to

microbes through unclean environments

and poor hygiene can cause subclinical

infection and inflammation where

symptoms are not visible affected

children suffer extensive intestinal

damage and are unable to effectively

absorb nutrients from their food

you