Expert Warns On Nutritional Habits

The Governance and Advocacy Adviser of Save the Children, an NGO, Dr David Olayemi, has  recommended good nutrition as the first line of defence against numerous childhood diseases.

He said this in Ilorin at a media training programme on “The current maternal, newborn and child health issues in Nigeria.”

Olayemi said that the effect of under nutrition on young children from age zero to five could impede their behavioural and cognitive development.

According to him, malnutrition is the underlining cause of more than 2.6 million child deaths in the country.

He also spoke on the importance of good nutrition in the first 1000 days of a baby’s life, stressing that conception begins when the sperm cell meets with the ovum for fertilisation.

“What a baby eats from the time of conception till he or she reaches age five is important.

“This is because that period is when immunity, attitudes are formed, mothers need to know that for babies, they are what they eat.”

On the care of pregnant women, Olayemi said that there was need to understand that pregnancy entailed a lot, hence the need to take their health seriously.

He advised pregnant women to ensure they visit registered health centres for proper care and counselling.

“Unless the mother is taken care of during pregnancy and the first two years after, her quality of life will be poor and the child will also not grow properly.”

He said the lingering effect of malnutrition in terms of sickness and missed work hours is estimated to cost Nigeria between 20 billion to 30 billion dollars annually.

Olayemi said the cost could be cut by exclusive breast feeding, which could save one million lives annually.

He said there was need for all the tiers of government to invest in basic, low cost, proven solutions to save the lives of children.