Incurable but Preventable – Stunting -By Lidya Tesema

We, more often than not, tend to value cure more than prevention. Maybe because cure comes after we see how real the problem is, and the cure is not always possible, and sometimes once the issue arrives, it might be too late to do anything about it. Such is the case for stunting in children. Stunting is impaired growth in children compared to WHO’s standard child growth median. It can be misunderstood as merely being short; however, nothing can be further from the truth. It is more than physical appearance, both for the stunted children and their country in the long run. It has a much more significant health impact, such as lower cognitive and learning abilities, reduced productivity, and lower wages during adulthood than children who are not stunted. (WHO, 2015). It is also associated with morbidity and mortality risk and increased risk of non-communicable diseases (Akombi et al., 2017).

Stunting is caused due to factors such as poor maternal health and nutrition, inadequate breastfeeding, repeated infections on the children, and lack of sanitation (WHO, 2015). These are common problems among developing countries such as Nigeria. Besides the direct causes, socio-economic status is the main underlying issue of stunting among children. According to studies, the lower the socio-economic standing a family has, the higher the children’s risk of being stunted (WHO, 2015). Not only economics but education also have a significant impact on stunting.  Although we are working towards increasing access to education for everyone, there still are several obstacles for women on the road to advancing in education. This influences children in many aspects of their lives, including their health. Children born to women without formal education are 2.5 times at a higher risk of being stunted than mothers with at least secondary education (WHO, 2015). This is an implication of what needs to be done and where.

There needs to be a community-based, holistic and reformative solution in both public and private sectors to prevent stunting. This involves policymakers and public health researchers focusing on fundamental factors that affect health. Education, access to health care, and poverty reduction bring a groundbreaking change regarding stunting and many other public health issues. Policy actions such as reducing undernutrition, cultivating education among women, increasing access to clean water and nutritious food can significantly impact children’s health and productivity. Community-based solutions, including providing counseling sessions for mothers and public health campaigns to raise awareness on the importance of sanitation and hygiene (WHO, 2015), make a great difference.

The solutions aren’t entirely on policymakers and researchers, though. People like you and me can make an enormous impact on preventing stunting in children. To keep children from being stunted, they need to be cared for starting from the womb to infancy and onward. Therefore, if you have a child, diversify your child’s nutrition intake, and make sure your child is adequately breastfed during infancy. Ensure your household’s sanitation, ask your health care providers about stunting and learn more about the issue and preventive measures you can take. These seemingly small actions could play a significant role in establishing your child’s health.

If you don’t have children and care about a healthier future generation, contribute to preventing stunting by raising awareness of the issue for people who do and plan to have children. Making donations and volunteering at your local social service organizations with a cause to the prevention of stunting could also make an immense change. As children are keys to the country’s future, these health impacts affect not only the children and their families but also the country’s future. Therefore, preventing stunting is indirectly preserving tomorrow’s hope of our country. The healthier today’s children are, the brighter future for the country.

Reference list

Akombi, B., Agho, K., Hall, J., Merom, D., Astell-Burt, T., & Renzaho, A. (2017). Stunting and severe stunting among children under-5 years in Nigeria: A multilevel analysis. BMC Pediatrics, 17(1). Doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0770-z

Akombi, B., Agho, K., Hall, J., Merom, D., Astell-Burt, T., & Renzaho, A. (2017). Stunting, Wasting and Underweight in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, (1).                                                                                     Doi:10.3390/ijerph14080863

World Health Organization. (2015). Stunting in a nutshell.                                                                                   Doi:https://www.who.int/news/item/19-11-2015-stunting-in-a-nutshell