Malnutrition is a condition that develops when the body does not get enough nutrients and energy to ensure growth, maintenance, and bodily functions. It can be caused by lack of breastfeeding, overcrowding, ignorance, poverty, infection, and closely spaced births. Risks include diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, growth retardation, mental retardation, hypoglycemia, dehydration, and infection. Treatment involves resolving life-threatening conditions, restoring nutritional status, and ensuring rehabilitation through a three-stage process of hospital care, dietary management with local foods, and supervised nutritional training for mothers.

1. Protein
Energy
Malnutrition

2. DEFINITION
WHO defines Malnutrition as "the cellular imbalance between the
supply of nutrients and energy and the body’s demand for them to
ensure growth, maintenance, and specific functions.“
Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body does not get
the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs
to maintain

4. RISK FACTORS
● Lack of breast feeding
● Overcrowding in family
● Ignorance
● Illiteracy
● Lack of health education
● Poverty
● Infection
● Closely Spaced Births
● Premature births
● Too early or late weaning

5. Complications
● Diarrhoea
● Water, electrolyte and mineral imbalance
● Vitamin deficiency
● Lactose intolerance
● Cardiac failure
● Bleeding tendency
● Renal impairment
● Growth retardation and mental retardation

6. Causes of Death
● Hypoglycemia
● Hypothermia
● Dehydration
● Infection
● Severe anemia

8. Further it may also lead to ….
● Marasmus
● Kwashiorkar

9. Preventive Measures
● Supplements to pregnant and lactating women
● Promotion of breastfeeding
● Development of low cost weaning food
● Family planning and spacing of births
● Protein energy rich food (e.g. milk, egg, fresh fruits)
● Immunization
● Food fortification
● Early diagnosis and treatment

10. Treatment
Treatment strategy can be divided into three stages.
➔ Resolving life threatening conditions
➔ Restoring nutritional status
➔ Ensuring nutritional rehabilitation.
There are three stages of treatment.
1. Hospital Treatment
The following conditions should be corrected
.Hypothermia, hypoglycemia, infection, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance,
anaemia and other vitamin and mineral deficiencies

11. 2. Dietary Management
The diet should be from locally available staple foods - inexpensive, easily
digestible, evenly distributed throughout the day and increased number of
feediings to increase the quantity of food
.3. Rehabilitation
The concept of nutritional rehabilitation is based on practical nutritional training for
mothers in which they learn by feeding their children back to health under
supervision and using local foods. For this even the Nutritional rehabilitation
services (NRC i.e. Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres) have been set up.