Some of the cases of mild malnutrition are children who are in recovery from moderate or severe malnutrition suffered during early childhood. When asked about their diet outside preschool, many of them mention foods such as beans and soups with broth, or foods of low nutritional value such as sausages, soft drinks, coffee, sweet bread, and candy.

Children with poor hygiene and particular cases of head lice or pediculosis capitis were observed during the evaluation. Some characteristic clinical signs were also noted, such as short stature, thinness, depigmented skin, corneal arcus, redness in the corners of the eyes, sparse hair, dry skin and hair, and leukonychia. Severe dental caries prevent children from consuming and digesting food properly due to pain or discomfort when chewing. 

Obese and Overweight Children 

Cases of overconsumption of food are mainly reflected in weight and body mass index for this age group. Children at risk are at the upper limit of normal weight for age, so they are already at risk of becoming overweight if they do not pay attention to their daily consumption. In terms of diet, they have the habit of consuming energy-dense foods such as sweet bread, sugars, and industrialized products that are not suitable for their age.  

When performing the physical examination, this population was noted with abdominal distension, leukonychia and hyperkeratosis, and severe dental caries.  

Action Plan 

While we continue to provide healthy school meals, we also encourage families to take advantage of our Early Childhood Nutrition program for pre-school children and infants, and our Food Outreach program to help combat severe malnutrition among residents of all ages in the community.  

We monitor the dining room to ensure that the children are consuming the food provided in the school meals.  

Ongoing nutrition workshops and consultations are offered for parents to prevent children of normal weight becoming over- or under-weight.