By Asma’u Ahmad
The Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, has urged parents and the general public to adopt positive behaviour toward improving the nation’s nutritional status.
Dr. Isokpunwu made the call at a media dialogue on child malnutrition organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Enugu with the theme; “Investing in child malnutrition.”
Delivering a paper on “Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria: What is the cost,” he noted that about one million under five children die annually in Nigeria: adding that half of this death was due to malnutrition.
Dr Chris Isokpunwu
According to him, the number makes Nigeria one of the highest contributors to the world under-fives mortality. Dr. Isokpunwu said major causes of malnutrition in the country include households and individual levels. He called for a change in attitude to address the burden through breastfeeding practice, ensuring that children were de-wormed twice annually and given vitamins supplementation.
The head of nutrition also said that there was the need to observe good hygiene practices and adequate care for mothers and children in the area of food security as well as accessing health care services in the event of any health challenge of the child.
He, however, expressed displeasure on poor hygiene practices by some mothers before or while feeding their children, adding that it deters the child’s nutritional status.
The expert emphasised that a child suffering from diarrhoea would not be able to retain what he was taking which could lead to under nutrition.
According to him, expectant mothers should endeavour to take folic acid among other antenatal drugs which assist in the cognitive development of the child. He listed other issues affecting the nation’s nutritional status to include poverty, ignorance, sanitation or environment, culture and religion.
