Tunbosun Ogundare
2 November 2009
Lagos — The importance of proper nutrition for reproductive mothers and their babies has been re-emphasised as it brings about healthy and long life.
The hint was a high-point of the recent media workshop organised by the Development Communications Network, a non-profit making advocates for maternal and child healthcare in Nigeria.
Held in Lagos, the theme was: "Nutrition as a factor in reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality.
Delivering a lecture at the forum on a topic: "Saving mother and child's lives through adequate nutrition,' Dr. Chinyere Ezeaka, Consultant Paediatrician, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, said satisfactory nutrition depends on adequate and balanced intake of foods containing proteins, carbohydrate, fats and oils, vitamins, minerals and water.
Absence of any or combination of these, she said, is nutritional disorder and may result in ill health and untimely death.
She said good nutrition is not only about eating nutritious foods, but encompassing the right combination at the right time, as well as volume of intake.
She noted that Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five- years and 145 women of child bearing age daily and this puts the country as the world's second largest in death of these two groups.
That the country is in this sorry state, she stressed, is not only embarrassing for an oil rich Nigeria, but to most of these deaths are preventable.
Ezeaka said the situation has constituted a great threat for Nigeria in actualising the 2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on maternal and child mortality of 66.7 and 75 per cent reduction.
Malnourished mothers, for instance according to her, will give birth to unhealthy children, and unbroken circle of such a state will hamper the state of mental and psycho-sociological health of involved children even till adulthood.
For steady development of babies, she said exclusive breast feeding for babies under six months and older till about two years, will do the magic.
She, however, tasked families, relevant health professional bodies, private sector and importantly the governments across tiers to take concrete steps to tame the tide.
While agreeing with Ezeaka's position, Dr. Abimbola Ajayi added that promoting nutrition particularly for infants, young children, teenage girls and women of child bearing age as well as pregnant and lactating mothers, is not Herculean task to pursue.
She noted that in many developing countries including Nigeria, food policies remained focused on under nutrition and is silent on prevention of chronic diseases through appropriate nutritional management.
Abimbola, who is an assistant director, Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos Ministry of Health, said effective nutrition will boost anti-bodies to fight against infections.
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