Week 4 - Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I have been blessed to have not experienced the stressors listed in this week's blog assignment. However, someone close to me has. When my friend was a child her family was extremely poor. When she began school she was able to have access to free lunch (which was often her only hot meal of the day). She can remember receiving donations of clothing from the local church, as well as presents at Christmas time. She shared with me that her family also received food stamps which were used for the purchase of the groceries needed for the week. She did not always have clothes or shoes that fit her and she was always self-conscious about the way she looked when she went to school. Despite the challenges she faces in the beginning of her life, she pursued an education and is now a happily married specialized preschool teacher with two children of her own that she is able to provide for. 

 

Mexico

In Mexico there are currently 53.3 million Mexicans living in poverty, this equates to 45% of the population (U.S. Embassy, n.d).  "In all countries, poverty presents a chronic stress for children and families that may interfere with successful adjustment to developmental tasks, including school achievement. Children raised in low-income families are at risk for academic and social problems as well as poor health and well-being, which can in turn undermine educational achievement (Engle & Black, 2008, p. 243).

One major initiative  in place to reduce poverty is called, The Hunger Project. This project empowers and educates families and communities to learn how to plan and implement small projects in their communities that will decrease hunger (The Hunger Project, n.d). The education families receive helps to empower them to understand the control and capacity they have within themselves to help solve problems instead of continuing to live as victims to the problems that surround them. This ultimately helps to improve risk factors which go along with poverty including violence, abuse, and continued poverty. 

Engle, P. L., & Black, M. M. (2008). The effect of poverty on child development and educational outcomes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136(1), 243-256.

The Hunger Project. (n.d) Mexico. Retrieved from: http://www.thp.org/our-work/where-we-work/mexico/

U.S. Embassy- Mexico City. (n.d). Standard of Living. Retrieved from: http://photos.state.gov/libraries/mexico/310329/april2014/2014_01_Standard-of-Living.pdf

Week 2-Child Development and Public Health

Child Development and Public Health-Malnutrition

For this week's blog post I chose to discuss the topic of malnutrition. Malnutrition occurs when a person does not consume enough food to sustain normal growth (Berger, 2016). It is especially prevalent in third world countries, but is also present here in the United States. I chose this topic because of all the public health issues there are today, this one is the easiest to prevent. Prevention and education about malnutrition is better than treatment (Berger, 2016). If families understand the vast and long lasting effects malnutrition has on their children (which includes but is not limited to brain development and the protection from diseases) the more likely they will be to work toward and seek out help in providing a balanced nutritional diet that will foster healthy growth and development. 

By understanding the ramifications of malnutrition, I can help provide families that I work with resources regarding local food banks. I can also provide them with information regarding CHIP (Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program) which will provide free or low cost insurance for children so that parents can seek out the proper medical monitoring of growth and development that they need (CHIP, n.d.). WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is another resource that I can provide for families.  "The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. (WIC, n.d)" 

Malnutrition in Asia

In Asia, the prevalence of malnutrition is very high. In fact, "approximately 70% of the world's malnourished children live in Asia, resulting in the region having the highest concentration of childhood malnutrition" (Khor, 2003, p. 113). In South Asia, 50% of preschoolers suffer from stunting secondary to malnutrition (Kohr, 2003). Stunting occurs when children do not grow to a normal height for their age due to malnutrition (Berger, 2016). A comprehensive approach to help decrease the malnutrition rates in Asia is needed and includes: providing the necessary foods, providing nutrient supplements, developing strategies to decrease food prices and protecting the food supply due to shortages caused by geological factors (ex. drought) (Pasricha & Biggs, 2010).

Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.   

 Khor, G. L. (2003). Update on the prevalence of malnutrition among children in Asia. Nepal Medical College Journal: NMCJ, 5(2), 113-122.

Pasricha, S., & Biggs, B. (2010). Undernutrition among children in South and South-East Asia. Journal Of Paediatrics And Child Health, 46(9), 497-503. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01839.x

Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2015, from http://www.chipcoverspakids.com/about-chip/what-is-chip/

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2015, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children-wic