How Does Impact Investment Affect Children

UNICEF stated that, “India, almost half of children younger than five years are stunted, a manifestation of chronic undernutrition. Stunting and other forms of under-nutrition are thought to be responsible for nearly half of all child deaths globally.” Children who are stunting they are facing under developed brain with many long term damaging consequences, as well as mental abilities and learning skills and can cause many problems for their future (UNICEF). Even though the economy in India has developed, the number of the children under the age of five have still been being stunted. According to UNICEF, “48 per cent or 54 million children under-five years in India are stunted. Stunting (inadequate length/height for age) reflects cumulative

Malnutrition is a problem that is estimated to contribute to more than one third of death among children (WHO, 2014). Under nutrition is a form of malnutrition; it occurs when nutritional reserves are exhausted or nutritional intake is insufficient to satisfy daily needs or increased metabolic demands (Jarvis, 2013, p. 175). Prolonged periods in this state can lead to stunted growth which is associated with lower

Children in need of these nutrients can suffer from stunted growth never reaching potential height. Statistics have shown stunted growth children score significantly lower on intelligence tests than do normal children. Hunger interferes with physical, emotional and academic development. According to Freedom from Hunger, “more than 4 million children will die due to hunger related causes.” NASW(2016) shows an important connection food security and nutrition play in physical and mental health.

Like any country, there are a variety of health concerns. About 50 percent of the children are malnourished-phsycially and mentally. When people experience malnourishment, often times it can stunt people’s growth as such a young age. Some illnesses are heart disease, kidney damage, and anemia, which can lead into adulthood.

“What does malnutrition look like? Most of us think of bloated bellies or skin and bones, but the appearance of a hungry child might surprise you. Internationally hunger often stunts growth. Imagine a 9-year-old who appears to be only 5” (“Feed the Children.” Feed). Almost 1 billion kids worldwide live in poverty and 1 in 4 children around the world suffer from malnutrition that stunts growth (“Feed the Children.” Give). This is a very big problem not only in America but everywhere else, malnutrition is the cause of almost half of child deaths each year around the world (“Feed the Children.” Give). It is close to impossible for a malnourished child to recover from diarrhea or to fight off a small illness because their immune system is just simply too weak (“Feed the Children.”

A child’s physical development is likely to be affected as they will not grow and thrive at the appropriate rate, becoming under developed as well as under nourished.

Food insecurity is a major problem for children because they are still developing both physically and mentally. Bellisle (2004) discusses how a lack of a nutritious diet can have severe effects on a child’s cognitive ability as well as their behavior. He goes on further to explain that even in children with an adequate diet, there were still differences in their capacities compared to children were given the correct amount of nutrition. Food assistance programs are important for communities with families that cannot supply their children with enough food, as well as children who may be getting enough food, but not the correct nutrition. Skalicky, Meyers, Adams, Yang, Cook, and Frank (2006) add that children who experience food insecurity throughout their lives are more likely to have iron deficiency-anima than children who are food secure. They continue by explaining that it is even more difficult for children to obtain these resources themselves; they rely on their parents for support. If their parents are unable to provide the proper nutrition for them, food assistance

Some physical factors that are affected by poor diets include the following: anatomical abnormalities, sensory perceptual impairment, motor dysfunction, oral motor dysfunction and respiratory cardiac and gastrointestinal problems (Kerwin, 1999). Additionally, eating disturbances may place the child at great risk for aspiration, malnutrition, invasive medical procedures, admission to an inpatient unit for treatment of the problem, and limitations in social emotional and educational functioning and development (Kerwin, 1999).

When a child is malnourished and has symptoms of failure to thrive, they should have some of

“One of the serious consequences of stunting is particularly impaired cognitive development. When a child has inadequate access to food, their body conserves energy by first limiting social activity and cognitive development in the form of apathetic and incurious children. These children may not develop the capacity to adequately learn or play. Then the child’s body will limit the energy available for growth” (Zusy).

Food insecurity in children have severe impacts to their growth and development. Moreover, nutritious food is critical for a child's physical and psychological development. Without nutritious food kids can develop obesity, abnormalities related to the deficiencies, and compromised immune systems. Therefore, they can have poorer academic outcomes, chronic conditions, hyperactivity, and inattention. Nurses will be one of the first to observe the impacts of child poverty on the children they care

A study conducted by Bradley & Greene (2013), has revealed that poor nutrition among the school going children is the cause of health problems which hinder learning in schools. For instance, when some children possess auditory and vision impairment due to malnutrition, their learning is greatly affected, and this can contribute to poor academic achievement. The recommendation from the study indicates that to improve the quality of education and academic performance of the school-going children; there should be efforts to enhance the health and nutrition status that the

In the article, it states “UNICEF estimates that 161 million children have stunted development because of poor nutrition, UNICEF executive director Tony Lake said.” (Leger, USA Today). The statement I found the most interesting and valuable to supporting my third main point is “A child’s development during the first 1,000 days is critical to intellect, future health and ability to earn a living and contribute to a country’s development, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, managing director and chief operating officer, World Bank Group said.” (Leger, USA Today). I also found another article titled Early Childhood Nutrition Crucial to Child Growth Byline: Mookodi Makhaya, Africa News Service From Opposing Viewpoints in Context. In this article, it states “Mr Ramono said in an interview that children must be given a variety of nutrients, which aided development of both their physical and mental strengths.” (Makhaya, Africa News Service). The evidence I provided from those two articles supports my third main point by proving how good and poor nutrition affects a child's health and abilities to become productive

“Approximately 3.1 million children die from hunger each year” (“World Child Hunger Facts”). Hunger for a long period of time results in malnutrition which is the lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat. Hunger and malnutrition is a serious problem faced by many children across the globe. It is even more prevalent among the developing countries of Asia and Africa where millions of children are underweight because they do not get enough to eat. Not only does the malnutrition severely affect children’s physical and mental health, it also affect their academics. Malnutrition has several negative effects on a child’s learning and school performance as it can lead to lower attendance, unsatisfactory student behavior, and poor academic performance.

Seventy five percent of children in developing countries suffer from malnutrition, which result in development disorder. Consequently, the