Nutrition and health may affect a child’schild’s growth, according to UNICEF.
Dr Tushar Rane, UNICEF’sUNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office Head, said that insufficient nutrition in the first 1,000 days damages a child’schild’s brain and body irreversibly.
He also stressed that nursing and newborn care in the first two years is vital for a child’schild’s physical and cognitive development and a woman’swoman’s nutrition throughout pregnancy.
On Tuesday, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office hosted a two-day media conversation on the first 1,000 days of a child’schild’s life at the Emerald Hotel in Gombe, Gombe State, with participants from Gombe, Taraba, Bauchi, Adamawa, and F.C.T. Dr Tushar Rane said this virtually.
“The first 1,000 days of life is the time spanning between conception and a baby’sbaby’s second birthday, which is a critical period of opportunity when the foundations of optimal health, growth, and neurodevelopment over the lifetime are built,” he said.
“The era of fast brain development and maturation is 80% by two years, and lack of growth during this period is connected with long-term repercussions, including education, productivity, and income.”
“Neuronal pathways are growing most quickly in the first 1000 days, although impoverished children are in tremendous danger of malnutrition in the first 1,000 days,” the UNICEF official said.
“Stunting increases risk of cognitive damage as disparities between risk and poor in reading, language, and cognitive development exist before elementary school.”
“Cognitive/linguistics deficits accrue early and last a lifetime,” he said.
The UNICEF Head said that stunting may occur if a kid is not breastfed or provided sufficient nourishment early, emphasizing the need for early nurturing.
He said high-impact interventions during the first 1,000 days include maternal supplementation and dietary counselling, weight gain tracking, infection control, antenatal care from conception to delivery, exclusive breastfeeding, immunization, infection prevention and treatment, and nurturing care from 0-5 months.
Opeyemi Olagunju, UNICEF Field Office Bauchi Communication Officer, said the media dialogue aims to educate journalists about the unique hazards to a healthy first 1,000 days in Bauchi.
Opeyemi Olagunju noted that it featured specific states and consequences to help public stakeholders confront risks.
