The Effects of Malnutrition in Children Under Five Years Old.

Nutrition plays an important part in the growth and development of children under the age of 5 years old (WHO, 2021). Lacking essential nutrients in the diet leads to under-nutrition. Underweight prevalence in children under 5 is an important indicator because it reflects a child’s nutritional status and is a strong predictor of mortality and morbidity (NDOH, 2023). Monitoring this indicator allows early detection of malnutrition, enables timely interventions, and prevents severe health issues.

 Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalances of essential nutrients, or impaired nutrient utilization (WHO, 2021). Whenever there is a high deficiency of nutrition among children, it is called wasting. Wasting impairs the functioning of the immune system and can lead to increased severity and duration of, and susceptibility to, infectious diseases and an increased risk of death (WHO, 2021). What happens in the immune system is that it weakens the immune system by impairing immune cell function, causing micro-nutrient deficiency and gut microbiota, and increasing susceptibility to infection and disease (Tutor Chase , 2024). The cells are affected and weakened with low nutrients and minerals; the child is vulnerable to infections and have a harder time recovering from those diseases. This has caused more deaths throughout the world than other disease combined (WHO, 2021). Globally, under-nutrition is an underlying factor in more than half of child deaths from pneumonia and malaria and more than 40% of measles deaths (WHO, 2020). The statistics of wasting in PNG have remained the same in the last five years at 14.3% (NDOH, 2023). 

Children's growth and development is important not only to physical development but also to cognition, social interaction, emotional regulation, and motor skills (Singh, 2022). These developments are the fundamental concepts learned in childhood that help us understand the world around us. However, the effects of malnutrition can cause stunting in the growth and development of a child. Stunting refers to children who suffer from growth retardation as a result of poor diets or recurrent infections (WHO, 2025). This often results in delayed mental development, poor school performance, and reduced intellectual capacity. The health sector in PNG has been improving in managing stunting over the years, where the rate of underweight declined among children under five years from 21% to 13% in 2023 (NDOH, 2023). 

Divine Word University Adventist students working with children in Siar Village, Madang Province.

A 6 month old baby having a bath.

 

To conclude, this indicator is important to assess, detect, and address underweight prevalence in children under five years in Papua New Guinea. Malnutrition is a serious health condition mostly among children which can lead to delayed mental development, poor school performance, and reduced intellectual capacity and even death if not addressed accurately. Addressing malnutrition appropriately by the health sector is a special gift the health sector can give to PNG in the next fifty years. 

 

 

 

 

 

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