After the #age of five years, the effects of chronic #malnutrition in a #baby become irreversible, therefore the impact of #hunger is not restricted to malnutrition and #health outcomes alone, it has implications on #educational outcomes as #sick #children do not attend #schools. Effects of malnutrition in early #childhood can be devastating and profound #permanent effects on their health #status, as well as their ability to learn, communicate, #socialize, reasoning and adapt to their #environment. This adversely affects their #capacity for #physical work and they earn less. Thus starts a vicious #cycle of #poverty, under #nutrition, diminished work #capacity, #low #earning, and poverty. Children with #marasmus, under#weight, #brown hairs, rickets legs, #hollow #eyes could be found in every #poor family in #urban #slums.

Under nutrition in children causes direct #structural #damage to the #brain and impair #infant motor #development and #exploratory #behavior. Children who are undernourished before age two and gain weight quickly later in childhood and in #adolescence are at high risk of chronic diseases related to nutrition.

Studies have found a #strong #association between undernutrition and child #mortality. Once #malnutrition is treated, adequate #growth is an indication of health and #recovery. Even after recovering from severe malnutrition, children often remain #stunted for the rest of their lives.

Even mild #degrees of malnutrition double the risk of mortality for #respiratory and diarrheal disease mortality and malaria. This risk is greatly increased in more severe cases of malnutrition. Undernourished girls tend to grow into short adults and are more likely to have small children.

Prenatal malnutrition and early life growth patterns can alter metabolism and #physiological patterns and have lifelong effects on the risk of #cardiovascular disease. Children who are undernourished are more likely to be short in adulthood, have lower educational #achievement and economic status, and give birth to smaller infants. Children often #face malnutrition during the age of rapid #development, which can have long-lasting impacts on health.

This means, that to break the inter-generational #transmission of poverty and malnutrition, it is #essential that children at risk must be reached during their first ten years of life,

In the last two decades, several initiatives have been taken up to address malnutrition in the #country, particularly among children, adolescent #girls and #women, but the #results are not promising.

To reduce the effect of the problem of malnutrition, it is important to work together. #Access to #government #policies is not enough to #help all the needy thus Initiative ANNA PATRA-A Feeding Vessel is launched to provide free of #cost nutritious food to poor children. Under project food will #distribute to children by setting a #Kitchen at the #location or #Mobile #Centre.

A team will ensure that food must be #nutritious, #seasonal and #hygienically serve. Food Menu will be pre-set by the team.