Seven-year-old Muhammad Afdal being treatedfor malnutrition at the Zainal Abidin Hospital in Banda Aceh.
The Health Ministry reported that 180,000 children
died as a result of malnutrition in 2007
Many parents fail to realize that malnutrition, which is still common in Indonesia, could cause irreversible brain damage that could eventually lead to an early death, a leader in the field warned on Tuesday. Physical signs of malnutrition are easy to spot, but parents often wrongly believe their sick child will make a full recovery after treatment, not knowing that the intellectual impairment they suffer during acute stages could be permanent, the expert said. “Don’t wait until your children are experiencing the symptoms of clinical malnutrition. It will be too late by then,” said Rahmi Oentoro, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Medical Nutritionists. “Malnutrition is not something that happens overnight. It occurs over a long process,” she said. Speaking in Jakarta at the launch of a corporate social responsibility report from food company PT Nestle, Rahmi said parents should be on guard for early symptoms of malnutrition. “Pay more attention if your children’s hair is dry, their mouth and lips are swollen or wounded, or if their muscles are not developing properly or they are too soft,” she said, adding that malnutrition typically begins after a child is weaned from breast-feeding. Children who have ample nutrition display at least 10 positive indicators, Rahmi said, including clear eyes and nails, strong muscles, a good appetite and healthy hair. Rahmi said parents must pay careful attention to nutrition because a child’s brain develops very rapidly from 40 weeks of pregnancy to 3 years old. “The brain is developed up to 80 percent during that golden period,” she said. “When your children turn 3 years old, make sure they weigh at least 11.5 kilograms,” Rahmi added. “In many cases, malnutrition happens not because the parents can’t afford to buy their kids proper meals, but because they are ignorant about what their kids should eat,” she said. Aman Wirakartakusumah, a senior researcher at the Southeast Asia Food and Agricultural Science and Technology Center, said insufficient micronutrients, caused through an imbalanced diet, could hamper children’s intelligence and physical growth, damage the immune system, cause anemia and hamper reproduction later in life. Aman said one way to curb problems arising from a lack of micronutrients was to add elements such as iodine and vitamins into common foods such as flour, salt and cooking oil. “With fortification, those who are financially restrained will still be able to provide proper nutrition for their children without having to spend much money,” he said. According to data from the Ministry of Health, 4.1 million children in Indonesia suffered malnutrition in 2007, with a reported 180,000 deaths. Rahmi cautioned that parents should also be aware of the dangers of excessive feeding, as the country has started to struggle with health issues related to obesity as well as malnutrition. “Be careful because overfeeding can cause many problems, including diabetes and heart disease,” she said.
