Write up Malnutrition

Mangi, Lana Rose C.

Ms. Mariel Y. Castillo

Grade 11 – Rizal

August 10, 2016

Malnutrition

Malnutrition^[1] has been one of the major health problems in the world for years, and it still continues to be number one. It leads to many deaths especially if not given attention. The Philippines are one of those countries with the highest rates of malnutrition. Day by day, people of Philippines are getting affected even more.  What do you think is the reason why people are being malnourished? What are the possible causes? What is the relationship of these possible causes to malnutrition? What is the economic status of the families involved with malnutrition? Which of our population experienced with a high rate of malnutrition? This is what this article will talk about.  

What are the causes of malnutrition? According to an article written by Rachel Nicole Cannon and is published by Borgen Magazine, there are many possible causes of malnutrition, these are due to the lack of nourishing food sources and nutrition education, protein deficiency, height deficiency, high unemployment, high food prices, and lastly due to weather related hardships. Lack of nourishing food sources and nutrition education are somehow related to high unemployment. Based on the article, there are over 2.9 million people in the Philippines who are struggling to obtain stable employment; a rate that has increased from 6.8 percent in 2012, to over 7.1 percent in 2014. How can you provide food when you don’t have a job? Imagine that you have family to support with but you’re unemployed, what do you think will be the effect? Of course! Malnutrition! Other possible causes of malnutrition are protein deficiency and height deficiency which leads children to be severely underweight and suffer from stunted growth. Next cause is high food prices, many Filipinos can’t afford to purchase enough food to satisfy their family’s food needs which lead them to be malnourished. Last possible cause of malnutrition mentioned in the article was due to weather related hardships.

For me, hunger is another cause of malnutrition; however, there is also a cause behind it – poverty. As we all know, our world is prone to suffer malnutrition. The first six causes of malnutrition mentioned earlier can be related to poverty. Families with low income are the most affected with these causes and have the highest rate of malnutrition in the country. Based on the article “Malnutrition Will Stay as Long as There is Poverty, Study Says” published in Bulatlat.com written by Anne Marxze Umil, a recent study by the Save the Children in the Philippines shows that there are 3.6 million stunted children in the country which result to chronic malnutrition. The study said poverty is the underlying cause of malnutrition.