Health Care System

BACKGOUND (PROBLEM)

Malnutrition is a debilitating condition that cripples many around the world especially children under the age of five years old. Children who are living in developing countries are heavily affected by this disease due to lack of nutritious food sources in their immediate environment. According to Johns Hopkins Children center, “malnutrition is defined as a condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. (JHCC, 2014). (Quotation does not have a closing) The National Institute of Health defined malnutrition as a condition that occurs when the body does not receive enough nutrients (NIH, 2014). Malnutrition is a micronutrient deficiency that is cause by inadequate or unbalanced diet, problems with digestion or absorption, and certain medical conditions. Do you need to define it twice? The effects of malnutrition vary. In some, the effects of malnutrition can go unnoticed whereas in others the symptoms can become so severe, the damages permanently ruin the bodies the immune system (NIH, 2014). Malnutrition, as the name implies, continues to be a burden among those it affects especially children under the age of five. Children in developing countries are affected for a plethora of reasons such as political instability, geographic challenges, and national debt.

There are different types of malnutrition. Each type largely depends on the category of nutrient missing from the body. One form of malnutrition is protein energy malnutrition. This condition occurs when the body lacks energy through a protein source. Some diseases associated with this condition include marasmus which is caused by insufficient protein and energy in the body system; those affected appear to be thin in body size similar in nature, kwashiorkor, also a condition that occurs when the body does not have enough protein (NIH, 2013). This health problem is most common in countries...