Knowing Child Nutritional Status

Nutritional status of children is an important thing to be known by each parent. Need for more attention on growth and development based on the fact that the age of the children malnourished that occurred in this golden period, is irreversible (can not be recovered).

Data in 2007 showed 4 million Indonesian children under five are malnourished, 700 thousand of them suffered severe malnutrition. Meanwhile, those who received supplementary food program is only 39 thousand children.



Viewed from the heights, as much as 25.8 percent of Indonesian children under five short (SKRT 2004). Body size is short this is a sign of prolonged malnutrition. Furthermore, malnutrition can affect brain development in children. In fact, the brain grows during infancy. Rapid phase of brain growth takes place from fetal age 30 weeks until the baby is 18 months.

According to nutrition experts from the IPB, Prof. Dr. Ir. Khomsan Ali, MS, a standard reference for nutritional status of children is a Weight Loss by Age (BB/U), Weight Loss according to height (weight/height), and Height by Age (TB/U). While the classification is normal, underweight (thin), and fat.

For reference that uses height, if the conditions are less well known stunted (short). Guidelines used are based on standard tables WHO-NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics).

Nutritional status of children can know how to match * with the child's age (in months) with standard weight tables WHO-NCHS, if the weight is less, the less its nutrient status.

In the IHC (Integrated Service Post), has provided the Card Towards Healthy (KMS) which can also be used to predict the nutritional status of children based on KMS curve. Consider first the child's age, weight and then plot the curve of the KMS. If still within the green line then good nutritional status, if below the red line, then the status of malnutrition.

The difference with young children, the nutritional status of adults using the reference body mass index (BMI) or also called the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI value is obtained by calculating the weight (in kilograms) divided by height squared (in square meters). Normal BMI score between 18.5 and 25; skinny when less than 18.5, and obese if over 25. For example, 1.6 meters tall person, then the ideal weight is 48-64 kg.
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