If you see a child that is very lean with the ribs showing and another that is very fat to the point of obesity, which will you refer to as being malnourished? I believe i know your answer already but both can be a problem in a child and could be seen as a sign of bring malnourished. So what does it mean to be malnourished?
When thr nutritional requirement of a person is not up to average or optimal or beyond average, it is referred to as malnutrition and this can be measured either ising BMI, weight, or height depending on the age of the person. When we talk about malnutrition, it can be overweight or underweight which is undernutrition and overnutrition. So when you see a thin child, she could be malnourished just as an obese child can be malnourished. So in conclusion, malnutrition is bad nutrition either overweight or underweight.
So I have noticed that parents want their children to get fat due to a few reasons including cultural believes where people have this notion that a fat child is a healthy child. Another reason can be from overzealous nurses and doctors who tell parents whose children are fine for their weight and height that they are not big enough. The third reason is parents comparing their children to other children and they have the conclusion in their heart that a fat child is a nourished baby.
We mistake weight gain in children is a good nutritional value and this is why vendors on social media are willing to sell all types of food that have been mixed with what to help children gain weight. When children are overweight, there is a problem and this can be an endocrinological problem or any other health problem but we do not usually put this into consideration.
Overweight can be a big problem both in adult and infant. For infants who are children below the age of 1 year old, overweight can come with insulin resistance which is the body not responding to insulin anymore thereby not allowing the cells in the body to get glucose into it and so not allowing the body to break down glucose in the blood. Infants who get very fat in infant and keep it that way can suffer from insulin reaistance and type 2 diabetes before the age of 10 years.
In places like Africa where under nutrition is still a very big challenge, people are looking to get their children to become very fat and obese but in regions where cases of under nutrition is not a problem, people suffer from obese related diseases at a very young age and this can include type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, increased blood pressure, and many other health condition.
On the topic of nutrition, you should not give added sugar to a child less than 2 years so as to prevent them from having tooth decays, gum disease, and carries even before they begin to develop teeth. Because i mentioned that added sugar should not be given to children doesn’t mean that you should give children below the age of 1 honey. Do not try this because honey can be contaminated with clostridium botulinum which can be bad for young ones as it produces botulinum toxins whicb can paralyze the muscles in the body. At the end, honey is sucrose and so it falls under the radar of added sugar.
That said, you will realize I do not put too much concern on under nutrition, this is because a lot of us already know that under nutrition isn’t a good sign and it shows that there is something wrong with the child’s health but we see over weight in infant and children as the right thing. To be sincere, over weight is a terrible and can cause a lot of medical issues for children. So just feed your child normally and ensure that they get all necessary nutrition.
Reference
https://abbhealthiertogether.cymru.nhs.uk/pregnant-women
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-ways-to-help-keep
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6800095/
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4028185/
https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/children-s-health-issues/general
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/symptoms-causes