Malnutrition: Expert calls for home economics, nutrition agents

A nutritionist has called for the establishment of home economics and nutrition extension agents across the country to address malnutrition and protein deficiency. Prof Henrietta Nkechi Ene-Obong of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Calabar, Cross River State, gave the advice during a webinar on protein. She said the populace needed to be enlightened about […]

A nutritionist has called for the establishment of home economics and nutrition extension agents across the country to address malnutrition and protein deficiency.

Prof Henrietta Nkechi Ene-Obong of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Calabar, Cross River State, gave the advice during a webinar on protein.

She said the populace needed to be enlightened about nutrition and that local languages should be deployed to help boost nutrition education.

She said, “Home economics and nutrition extension agents would be in the best position to simplify the nutrition message and bring it to the people to achieve the desired outcome in behaviour from the citizenry.”

She, therefore, called for the introduction of nutrition education in schools as students could learn and teach their parents at home.

She further said proteins were the building blocks of body tissues, adding that pregnant and lactating women needed extra proteins for the development of foetus and milk production.

She added that healthy adults needed to consume an average of 0.8g of protein per kilogramme of body weight for individuals with minimal to intense physical activity.

In family meals, it is important that carbohydrates with proteins are mixed, she said, explaining that, “For example, rice and beans, yam and eggs. We must ensure that infants and young children consume foods from at least four food groups: grains, roots and tubers; legumes and nuts; dairy products; flesh foods and eggs; Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables (like carrots and sweet potatoes) and other fruits and vegetables.”

Prof Ene-Obong revealed that of all measures designed to stop all forms of malnutrition, the food-based approach was the most cost-effective.