health

Study worries nutritionist

LA PRENSA/ Víctor Arosemena

nutrition linked to growth1076897

A nutritionist at the Ministerio de Salud (Minsa) said that the food Panama's indigenous children are eating may be affecting their growth.

A study has found that indigenous children between six and nine are not growing as fast as they should be.

“A child with a very low height is not getting the nutrients he or she needs during his or her first two years,” said Flavia Fontes, the Minsa nutritionist.

The survey, conducted in June 2007, found that children from indigenous areas are especially prone to being undersized. While a typical six-year-old measured 116 centimeters, indigenous children are, on average, considerably shorter, coming in at 105 centimeters.

The average nine-year-old indigenous child measured 117.5 centimeters, while the average was 134.8 centimeters.

Experts said that the problem of poor nutrition can affect a child's intellectual development as much as it does their physical growth.

“The first manifestation of malnutrition is the low weight. But when it affects the child's size, the problem is already much more serious,” said Alberto Bissot, director of the Hospital del Niño.

The study included 68,500 children from neighborhoods throughout the country.

The survey did show a decrease in the number of children who were not growing as fast as they should be. In 2000, the number of children who were undersized was 23.9 percent of the total, while last year that number dropped to 21.9 percent.