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Malnutrition impact on children in rural areas in Honduras

Yassmara R. Sanchez

Foreign Languages Program, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras

English Workshop V

Mr. Zapata

November 26, 2021

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Malnutrition is understood as the result of a long-term imbalance between the supply of different
nutrients and the needs that an organism requires to develop efficiently. Nutrient consumption is
essential at any age, however, its effects are reflected in the growth stage, and that is why the lack of
them has a serious impact on children. The malnutrition situation experienced by millions of
Honduran children, mainly in rural areas, is closely linked to the poverty rates in the country because
their low income does not adjust them for adequate nutrition. According to the report on the
Current Situation of Food and Nutritional Security in Honduras (2010), it explains that poverty, and
therefore food and nutritional insecurity, affects 72 out of every 100 Hondurans, becoming even
more serious in the rural sector. Consequently, malnutrition damages the lives of Honduran children
who suffer from it, including growth deficiencies due to lack of an adequate and healthy diet,
difficulty in school performance during their growth stage, and problems relating to others due to
emotional deterioration.

Children's health in Honduras is affected by the high rate of malnutrition in children who did not
receive an adequate diet. Consequently, this statement gives rise to problems that affect the child's
growth and development. Stunting is one of the first manifestations of malnutrition at an early age.
Suarez (2017) explains that high levels of stunting are associated with poor socioeconomic conditions
(p.3). Families in Honduras do not have the resources to provide children with a basic diet, which is
devastating because children need to grow up strong and healthy. According to Maso (2014) “in
Honduras, 66% of the population lives in poverty, while malnutrition affects one in four children”.
This creates an increased risk of adverse conditions such as disease and poor eating practices.
Morley (2020) states that by not having a balanced diet, children lack calories or protein, when
calories are insufficient, vitamins and minerals are too. By reducing poverty rates in Honduras,
malnutrition rates will decrease, allowing children to grow up unimpeded.

Malnutrition reduces learning capacity, reducing school performance. Firstly, children with
malnutrition lack essential nutrients that help them to reach the levels that the brain and body need.
The lack of these obstructs the child in his learning process. In addition, Cortés, Buchana, Basquez,
and Bobadilla (2007) state that a child of low height has a greater risk of repeating grades than
another of normal height, and repetition logically becomes more frequent as one progresses through
the grades, that is why the curricular demands become greater (page 28, para 4). Therefore, by not
having the necessary substances that the body needs, children are deficient when carrying out their
academic responsibilities, triggering problems such as illiteracy, bringing with them problems for
their present and future generation. According to UNESCO (2006), the illiteracy rate in Honduras
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reached 20%, with a significantly higher percentage in rural areas (28.4%) than in urban areas (9.4%).
To sum up, a poor diet of children causes multiple consequences that are merely linked to academic
achievement and greater influence in rural, marginalized, and underprivileged areas of Honduras.

Low nutrition causes problems in children to relate to others preventing normal growth. Given
this statement, the impact of malnutrition is strongly reflected in the low self-esteem of children
who suffer from it. In the research by EL Heraldo (2018) “educational system in Honduras is reporting
a considerable number of students with low self-esteem”. The awful or insufficient feeding reduces
the child’s happiness and this makes him feel lesser to others, therefore, they isolate themselves to
avoid contempt or some other behavior. However, it is greatly important to establish social
relationships to maintain emotional health and the brain as active as possible, dodging cognitive
decline. (Levi, 1975, as cited in Van Den Berg, 2018) The brain to efficiently develop its functions in
learning, sensations, and memory, needs two basic molecules: oxygen and glucose, the latter is the
only source of energy in the nervous system. To summarize, it is important that children receive
adequate nutrition to avoid brain deterioration, and that this leads them to have low self-esteem
and lose the cheerfulness that every child should have.

Due to the lack of essential nutrients, children in the poorest areas of Honduras are exposed to
the deterioration of their physical health, lack of concentration to perform educational tasks, and
also unstable social behavior concerning their environment. With the high rate of poverty, Honduran
families do not have enough resources to provide food rich in vitamins and minerals that children
need to grow up healthy and strong, and thus avoiding diseases that can lead to death. Furthermore,
malnutrition prevents adequate intellectual development, children without an exceptional diet lose
interest and concentration in their studies, and that lack of attention is reflected in low grades. It
follows that the social behavior of children is severely affected, and one of its manifestations is low
self-esteem that creates a barrier in their minds between themselves and the rest of society.
Consequently, malnutrition is related to the high inequalities that exist in the country, where the
lower class is forgotten without resources to satisfy their fundamental needs such as food, Will there
ever be food resources for everyone to avoid malnutrition regardless of social class in Honduras?
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References

Cortés, M., Buchanan, J., Vásquez, M., & Bobadilla, L. La desnutrición y su impacto en la educación

pre-básica en la aldea, Arcilaca de Honduras. bvs.hn.

http://www.bvs.hn/RFCM/pdf/2007/pdf/RFCMVol4-1-2007-4.pdf

Maso, A. (2014, February 13). En Honduras, la desnutrición tiene nombre y apellido: Corredor

Seco. Banco Mundial. https://www.bancomundial.org/es/news/feature/2014/02/13/corredor-

seco-honduras

Morley, J. (2020). Desnutrición. Manual MSD.

https://www.msdmanuals.com/es/hogar/trastornos-nutricionales/desnutrici%C3%B3n/desnutrici

%C3%B3n

Secretaría de Estado del Despacho Presidencial. (2010, August). Situación Actual de la Seguridad

Alimentaria y Nutricional en Honduras a diciembre 2009.

http://santic.rds.hn/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Situacion-Actual-SA N-Honduras.pdf

Suarez, A. (2017). ONU: Documento normativo sobre retraso del crecimiento. WHO.

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/255735/WHO_NMH_NHD_14.3_spa.pdf;jsessio

nid=F7119A2D73607FCA7999D8E48355122A?sequence=1

Tres de cada cinco estudiantes sufren de baja autoestima en Honduras. (2018, October 30).

El Heraldo. https://www.elheraldo.hn/pais/1229388-466/tres-de-cada-cinco-estudiantes-

sufren-de-baja-autoestima-en-honduras

UNESCO. (2006). Prioridades y preocupaciones actuales en materia de educación.

http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/Countries/WDE/2006/

LATIN_AMERICA_and_the_CARIBBEAN/Honduras/Honduras.htm
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Van Den Berg, E. (2018, November 06). Si el cerebro necesita azúcar para funcionar, ¿por qué

tenemos que dejar de comerlo?. El País.

https://elpais.com/elpais/2018/05/28/buenavida/1527522543_389263.html