Nutrition – From child care style to successful aging

In 1981, an Ethiopian nutrition expert named [Dr.] Zawdie Wolde Gabriel wrote about the situation of breast-feeding in our country. He said it was declining because of the influence of urbanization and modern technological changes. That was nearly 40 years ago. What is the situation at present?

My aim in this article is to raise the question and not to give an answer because I am not qualified is discuss the subject at length and reach a satisfactory conclusion. I am interested in it only to provide some facts and opinions from one or two literatures that I happened to read lately in the course of my personal experience.

The 1981 study was carried out by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with the title of Assignment Children. It is a journal concerned with children, women and youth in relation to development. Its main topic is breast-feeding and health.

A number of recommendations have been made in the case study focusing on Ethiopia. Some of them are the following:

On education and training, it was proposed that breast-feeding should be included as a subject in the school curricula.
In health services, the recom mendations included the strengthening and expansion of Mother-and-Child Health (MCH) and family planning programmes.
On matters of policy, the government was called upon to see the extension of post-natal leave, to look into the possible improvement of nurseries and day-care centres, to reassess advertisements related to mother’s milk substitutes, and to strictly adhere to the international code on the subject stipulated by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

A source close to the Ethiopian Nutrition Institute which is probably part of the Ethiopian Public Health Research institution on his part recommended that numerous studies have been

conducted on breast-feeding over the last four decades and can be easily accessed on the Internet, and the question raised at the beginning of this article could be answered in the studies carried out so far.

But one thing is certain, and that is: breast-feeding is not an issue any more. The existing recommendations as understood from the source mentioned above is exclusive breast-feeding up to six months and then a possible improvement with light solid food which to my understanding is called weaning. The concepts described as prenatal, postnatal and natal have not been clearly delineated, but most importantly cover MCH intensive care for duration of one thousand days.

One interesting aspect that cannot be ruled out is the response of neighbours and relatives to child-birth based on traditional practices that are in-built within the community. Close relatives carry gifts of food and other accessories as part of well-wishing gestures shown to the family. In return, porridges are served to visitors, the preparation of which in its initial stage takes place months before the date of birth.

At this point, let us take a slight shift to old age which is treated successfully by a newsletter prepared by the Health Centre of the Economic Commission for Africa in 2006. It is possible to stay healthy, active and fit even if we are in the process of aging on condition that we observe some of the recommendations made in the newsletter.

It is stated in the introduction that aging is a universal process of life characterized by a gradual decline in the functional (physiological) reserve of the body system. So, one of the components of successful aging is to give proper attention to nutrition. A similar idea was raised in connection with MCH. What is the difference? It is commonly said that we have to beware of the three things, namely sugar, salt and fat. The emphasis is more on quantity rather than on quality, although this may differ from person to person.
According to the newsletter, the nutrients include some fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. Energy (calorie) supply could either be independent or a combination of all the nutrients.
The percentage breakdown is 60 for carbohydrates; 30 for fats, and 12 for proteins. The constituents of carbohydrates are sugar, potatoes, pasta, bread, etc. Those of fats are oils, butter, the whole of milk products, etc., and proteins comprise fish, meat, eggs, milk and milk products, legumes, etc. There is some overlapping of constituents, but the newsletter does not give further explanation.
The remaining nutrients including vitamins are taken for granted. But a striking exception is water. According to the newsletter older people are prone to dehydration because their kidneys are not as efficient as keeping water in the body. They should take in about one-and-half to two litres of fluid each day.
The remaining part of the newsletter recommends that older people take part in physical activity or exercise on a daily basis; engage themselves in the prevention and early detection of diseases, and must stay involved with life and living.

To conclude with the last part, let us take note of the fact that staying involved with life and living means firstly interacting with people and secondly occupying oneself in some meaningful way, so as to prevent isolation that could affect mental and physical health.

Successful aging starts with and results in enhanced quality of life. People who age successfully are healthy, energetic and lead a meaningful life by contributing to society and maintaining their self-respect, according to the newsletter.

[Addendum: This article was first planned for World Children’s Day which is marked in the last week of November. It was reorganized to correspond with a previous article written a week earlier Children’s Day could be confused with Siblings Day marked on separate days in U.S.A. and Europe as well as /Australia, The Internet provides a plethora of days designated for particular causes including Mother’s and Father’s Day. They all add up to the existence of a universal concern for the wellbeing of the family and the society as a whole.]

The Ethiopian Herald Sunday edition January 19/2020

BY BERHANU TIBEBU ZEWOLDE