By Sanjeev Shekhar
Recurrent complaints of having less food or no food by the well to do children have kept the research analysts and parents on toes. It’s a matter of concern and distress for young and working parents, who are more busy with their working lifestyle than anything this world.
A case in point-Arnav (name changed) is a 14-year old boy studying in Class Eight. He belongs to an affluent family of this city. He is from a well to do family dwelling in an urban area. He has a variety of options when it comes to food. Of late, Arnav has been feeling lethargic and weak. He is not being able to perform well in school. Initially the doctors could not infer the reason for his plight. Later they found that he suffered from anemia due to micronutrient deficiency.
It might sound surprising but it’s true. Even the city children from affluent class can be malnourished.
The case of Arnav is not in isolation, as doctors claim that the recent trend suggests that a major chunk of affluent class of children are malnourished. Clinically this is evident in famished children residing in poor and rural areas, who are deprived lot in terms of food. But in urban setting there is a “hidden hunger”.
“We may think that children are eating healthy but they may not be consuming the required amount of vitamins and minerals on a daily basis, which may cause deficiency of micronutrients (nutrients required for life in small quantities),” said a dietician working in the private hospital of the city at Bariatu.
Interestingly a section of parents believes that if the children are eating any form of food, they are having their full and healthy. According to the report of the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau of India, over 50 percent of apparently healthy looking children have sub clinical and biochemical deficiencies of micronutrients (like Vitamin A, B2, B12, Vitamin C, iron, trace minerals like iodine, zinc, etc).
Recently a report published stated that various studies like one conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition in schoolchildren aged 6 to 16 years have demonstrated sub-clinical micronutrient deficiencies (inadequacy of about 66% for vitamins B2 and B6, 60% for vitamin C and 33 – 55% for vitamin A and iron) even among apparently healthy school age. This figure might vary from state to state and Jharkhand is no exception to this.
According to the child specialist, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, working in RIMS, “One of the reasons may be that the children eat a limited portion or variety of food items, also referred to as Picky eating. In addition to this factors like frequent childhood infections may further restrict optimal food intake for meeting nutrient requirement. Inappropriate eating practices, cooking patterns and lifestyle further compound this nutritional insult.” The fat and cholesterol content of the food we consume is much higher than that of essential micronutrients. This can be attributed to the lack of a balanced diet.
Hidden hunger’ or micronutrient deficiency, as it has aptly been called is a problem that looms large and will almost certainly overwhelm us if it remains unaddressed, said Dr. N. Kinjalk. Bringing about simple changes of diversification and fortification in the dietary pattern and lifestyle modification can help radically improve the current scenario. “Effective implementation of these strategies is both the challenge and the need of the hour,” the doctor said.
Micronutrient deficiency is not just threat to children but it is spread across all age groups. In the contemporary times, every person faces onslaught of junk food, unprecedented levels of stress, lack of time and lifestyle induced diseases. Eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle with moderate exercise, are more critical than ever before.
Doctors believe that the parents need to be made more aware about the improved dietary intake or inclusion of micronutrient may help in meeting nutritional (micronutrient) requirements.
Sanjeev Shekhar
PR/Media Consultant
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