THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION

Every child develops and grows at her/his own pace and in her/his own time through reaching the various developmental milestones. Children’s growth and development do not occur in a linear fashion, but are influenced by each child’s environment, nutrition and parental care. These factors play a critical role in a child reaching her/his full potential. Recent evidence indicates that good nutrition, particularly in early childhood, is critical to the positive health outcomes of children. In fact, children’s nutritional status can be viewed as a good proxy indicator of a community’s state of health. The nutritional status of a child is usually described in terms of anthropometry, i.e. body measurement, such as weight, in relation to age or height, which is reflective of the degree of underweight or wasting of that child. Sufficient nutrition in early childhood is critical in maintaining healthy growth, proper organ formation and functioning, a strong immune system, and neurological and cognitive development in children. Children who ar