Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The Effects of Hunger on Children

My family and I did not experience it personally, but when we were younger our

neighbors who lived directly beside us experienced hunger.  My siblings and I

were very young but we were all in school.   Our neighbors had two children a boy

and a girl.  The parents worked but the bills were high and they rarely had enough

to buy food.  There were eight of us, not including my mother.  My mother would

always invite them over to eat, but they parents never can, they would always send

the children. When they entered middle school their father died, which made it

extra hard for their mother.  I felt sorry for them when we went to school because

they would eat leftovers off of the plates that food was left on.  Although they went

through many obstacles, hunger and the death of their father, they did well in

school.  Their mother found out how to get assistance with food and her rent.  This

 really helped them out a lot.  When we graduated from high school, so did they. 

They did not let this obstacle get in their way.  We still live in the town in which

we grew up and they both are doing very well. 

 

Africa

When we look at or read human rights documents, the right to food is one thing

that is mentioned consistently.  There are about 840 million people worldwide who

are malnourished, and the highest percentage of these people live in Africa. 

Africa’s current food crisis in long term and has been building up for decades.  The

hunger problem is basically caused by poverty.  The food production gap results

from deterioration in food production because of the stead increase in the

population.   When children are faced with hunger on a daily basis, it can be

detrimental to their biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development.  Children

will not be able to learn and achieve their full potential and have  lower academic

achievement.   The impact of child hunger is more far reaching than one might

anticipate.  Hungry children are sick more often and are more likely to suffer

physical, emotional, and developmental impairment.  It can cause speech and

language development problems, their brains do not develop properly, insecure

attachments, etc. 

 

Child Development and Public Health

Nutrition/malnutrition

Nutrition plays a very important role in the development of a young child.  The

foods that they eat provides the energy that their bodies need to function.  Many

times I see young mothers only giving their little children junk food, which

is not good for them all the time.   Whether or not children are well-nourished

during their first years of life can have a profound effect on their health status, as

well as their ability to learn, communicate, think analytically, socialize effectively

and adapt to new environments and people.  Good nutrition is the first line of

defense against numerous childhood diseases, which can leave their mark on a

child for life.  In regards to cognitive development, when there is not enough

food, the body has to make a decision about what to do with the food that is

available, which means survival comes first and growth comes second. 

Malnutrition at an early age leads to reduced physical and mental development

during childhood.  Even if children get enough to eat, they will become

malnourished  if the food they eat does not provide the proper amounts of

nutrients, vitamins and minerals to meet the daily nutritional requirements.     

When children are undernourished, this affects school performance.

South Asia

South Asia has experienced high economic growth during the last decade. South Asia, however, still has both the highest rates and the largest numbers of undernourished children in the world.   Poverty is often the underlying cause of child malnutrition.  The high economic growth experienced by South Asian countries has not made an impact on the nutritional status of South Asian children.  Over a third of adult women in South Asia are underweight.  South Asia’s undernourishment problem has many factors, including the following: Low birth weight, infant and young child feeding practices, poor household hygiene, and status of women in society.  South Asia suffers from high rates of child malnutrition and has made little progress in the past 20 years.   I do not know what can be done to help these poor children, because basically it stems from the eating habits of the parents. 

In the future I will research ways in which I can help young children to become more aware of their eating habits in order to help them to develop at normal levels.  I will send brochures home that will educate the parents as well.  I will also focus on this topic in parent meetings.  

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

When I was in my late twenties, I experienced the birth of my best friend’s first child.  She wanted me to be there.  It was so exciting and scary at the same time.  I watched a tiny human being enter the world in such a miraculous way.  My friend carried her son for the entire 9 months without any problems or complications before, during, or after the birth.  During her pregnancy she took her prenatal vitamins, exercised regularly, and kept all of her doctor’s appointments.  He son was very healthy and weighed 7lbs and 13 ounces.  She eventually had five more sons.  The thing that sticks in my mind the most when I heard the first sounds coming from this tiny being and I chose this example because it was an experience that I will never forget. 

I think that God gives each of us children for specific reasons.  In order for a child to be healthy and develop well after being born, you have to take care of yourself and do the right things.  You should reframe from activities that will increase the risks of a child having developmental problems, such as drinking, smoking, doing drugs, etc.   Although sometimes you can take care of yourself and the child may still have problems due to a variety of reasons. 

Births in Africa are somewhat different from those in the United States.  Skilled attendance by midwives at all births is considered to be the single most critical intervention for ensuring safe motherhood, because it hastens the timely delivery of emergency obstetric and newborn care when life-threatening complications arise.  Most births in Africa are performed at home.  Just before the birth, the midwife prepares and ingredient for application to the child’s umbilical cord.  These ingredients consists of ash, sugar, an egg-shaped poisonous fruit called Umtuma, and grass from the roof of the mother’s hut.  The ingredients are all mixed together and applied to the umbilical cord and it falls off within three days.  The mother remains in the hut for approximately 7 days before she can resume her normal activities.  Both United States and African births are performed by skilled medical persons.  Some of the differences are in the United States most births are performed in a hospital and we put alcohol on the umbilical cord to stop infection.  The cord usually falls off in three days; this is also true for African women.   In the United States if you are doing ok you can go home in 2 to three days but African women have to remain in their hut for   approximately 7 days.  You have to be extra careful in foreign countries because there are many serious diseases that women can catch if they do not take care of themselves, especially involving the drinking water.