Underlying causes(go toOutline)The third perspective is the underlying causes of malnutrition. The UNICEF framework gives three main categories of underlying causes, as shown in the following schema.

Household food insecurity, or the lack of food, is a major factor in many humanitarian emergencies. Displaced populations are often separated from their normal source of food. Although some agencies, such as the World Food Programme, have standardized methodologies specifically to assess food insecurity, there are no consensus recommendations regarding assessment methods. One simple way to crudely estimate the contribution of household food insecurity in a malnourished population is to compare the prevalence of acute protein-energy malnutrition in children less than 2 years of age to the prevalence in children 2-4 years of age. Older children normally have a lower prevalence rate of acute malnutrition, but if food insecurity is an important factor, they too will become significantly malnourished.Poor social and care environmentoften consists largely of poor infant feeding practices, poor home care for ill children, and poor health care seeking behaviour. Nutrition surveys will often ask questions about breastfeeding, general feeding practices, and home care and clinic visits during the last episode of illness. However, this is not the only applicable method for assessing the contribution of this group of underlying causes.Poor access to health care and unhealthy environmentcan often be assessed using disease surveillance data and program data. In nutrition assessments, surveillance data for those diseases which are known to have substantial and rapid impact on nutritional status, such as dysentery and pneumonia, should routinely be analyzed. Many such diseases can produce rapid weight loss even in children and adults with normal pre-disease nutritional status. The environment can be assessed with standard indicators of sanitation and water supply (for more information, see section onWater Supply, Sanitation, and Shelter).

Malnutrition may not be what you think and even worse, you may not realize you are malnourished! There is a definitiveline betweennutritionand malnutrition.Malnutrition, as defined byMosbys Medical Dictionary 7th Edition: any disorder of nutrition. It may result from an unbalanced, insufficient, or excessive diet or from impaired absorption, assimilation, or use of foods. Compare deficiency disease.Deficiency disease, as defined byMosbys: a condition resulting from the lack of one or more essential nutrients in the diet, from metabolic dysfunction, or from impaired digestion or absorption, excessive excretion, or increased biologic requirements.Look at the photo to the right. Is only one person suffering malnutrition or are they both malnourished?What is the difference between malnutrition andsubclinical malnutrition?There is a difference between malnutrition and subclinical malnutrition. Malnutrition is a serious clinically diagnosed problem whereas subclinical malnutrition is rarely observed or addressed by our current medical system.Subclinical malnutrition simply means that you are deficient in one or more essential nutrients that include minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids.Subclinical malnutrition is extremely deceiving and heres why You may look and feel perfectly healthy, You may easily show excellent results using current blood panels, You may not be experiencing any symptom whatsoever, You may occasionally experience annoying symptoms clinically undiagnosed.Subclinical malnutrition may be present for years or even decades before any symptom or even a sudden onset of a degenerative diseasemanifests. Have you ever wondered how someone you know went from being perfectly healthy one day and diseased the next?Malnutrition is not a poverty condition!Unfortunately, if you are like most, you would never consider you are malnourished because you normally associate malnutrition with poverty nations. After all, no one shows an American as being malnourished.However, malnutrition is an equal opportunity and nondiscriminatory condition. It crosses all socioeconomic boundaries and includes people that only consume thehighest quality foodssuch as organics.For the most part, Americans are over-fed and malnourished because we live in a society where fast and processed foods are dietary staples.We are what we eat and what we eat depends on the soil that produces it, declares Dr. William A. Albrecht, University of Missouri. Human health troubles often come from poor nutrition which weakens the body. With its defenses down the body is less able to resist the attacks of bacteria and other forces. CASS CITY CHRONICLEFRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1947.What contributes to malnutrition?Many things have changed since the time Dr. Albrecht made the statementwe are what we eat. Today, there is a long list of factors contributing to malnutrition. Some include: Stress Improper or poor food selection (fast foods, processed foods, etc.) Improper dietary supplements (arbitrary consumption without lab analyses) Toxins(chemicals and heavy metals) Medications (prescription and OTC) Unhealthy lifestyle habits (alcohol, lack of exercise, etc.)Any factor that interferes with your nutritional status should be considered. Fortunately, many common factors contributing to malnutrition may be overcome with a healthy eating plan and simple lifestyle changes.The Western DietISmalnutrition!TheWestern Dietis associated with the termWestern Diseases!The Western diet, predicated on convenience and profit,consists of fast foods, processed foods, and genetically modified foods. Obviously, Americans are surviving on these foods as dietary staples but their nutritional value is lacking.As you know, we have the most expensive medical system in the world yet so many diseases are epidemic. In fact, many of which are referred to as Western diseases such as cardiovascular disease and a variety of cancers. Obesity, recently declared a disease by the AMA, can now be included.As you know, most of these common degenerative diseases are closely associated with myriad nutrients such as osteoporosis is associated withcalcium and vitamin D. This is grossly misleading because America over-consumes calcium and vitamin D and yet osteoporosis remains a problem!Malnutrition also creates a tremendous potential for generational health problems as seen infamily planning. In addition, your reproductive and sexual health (both male and female)are also affected.Ask yourself the following question. Why do we worry about cigarettes when our current foods are contributing to more disease than cigarettes ever did? Its ironic the quality of our foods are never mentioned.However, when it comes to food selection in the Western diet, remember this important rule:Convenient foods are not healthy Healthy foods are not convenient!Can you survive if you are malnourished?Interestingly, yes you can!In fact, you may be in a state of malnutrition (subclinical) and not even realize it.Fortunately, you possess a tremendousmargin of safetyfor survival. This simply means you can survive even though you are tremendously abusive to your mind and body. There is, however, a definitive line that when you cross, things will begin to go wrong (manifestations of symptoms and disease).Is malnutrition is gaining ground on your health and your children? Every day, more fast foods, processed foods, pharmaceuticals, OTC meds, toxins, inheritance, and stress are beginning to show the long-term ramifications of various states of malnutrition.Think for a moment, you now have a pharmacy on almost every corner in America and in every major supermarket chain. In addition, medical facilities are being built at a record number.Are these the results of ahealthyor malnourished society?Are you in a current state of malnutrition?One of the simplest and most economical ways to know is a hair tissue mineral analysis. Essential minerals are foundational in nutrition and toxic elements interfere with essential minerals, amino acids, and vitamins.Order yourHair Analysistoday!Share the knowledge!If you find this page informative and helpful, please share it with your family and friends. If you choose HairAnalysisReport.com as your provider, please share that as well!The content and laboratory services provided on this site are for educational and informational purposes only and not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure disease.REFERENCES MALNUTRITION