The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease. Quarantine measures during a public health pandemic can be particularly detrimental to urban poor families and affect the dietary diversity and food security. This can disproportionately affect young children aged 6 and below, and severely impact those
Children are the future to our society. The first thousand days of life, starting from
conception till one's second birthday is a critical period of cognitive and physical
development. It is the most sensitive period where brain development is most receptive to
positive nutrition. Any form of malnutrition, especially during this golden time frame, can
lead to irreversible effects to growth, health, education and future career attainment to our
potential leaders, which in turn can be a barrier to human development.
The CoVID outbreak is a unique period in recent human history where drastic public health
measures such as MCO for an extended period of time has to be implemented nation-wide. These
measures have untold severe consequences on the food security of the vulnerable urban group,
in particular the young children whose brains require diverse micronutrients to support the
rapid growth. These micronutrients can only be obtained from a daily diet that is equally
diverse, especially from fresh vegetables and fruits which will be short in supplies. These
perishable food items are not usually included in food aids, thus the child may have to
subsist on staple-rich diet which are energy-dense but nutrient-poor. These dietary practices
are associated with negative health outcomes. Thus by monitoring dietary diversity of the
children, we hope to better inform food aid organisations to consider the inclusion of
healthier food options to prevent micronutrient deficiencies.
Other: Dietary counselling on Food Groups according to IYC Feeding practices, WHO
Monitoring of Dietary diversity and growth
Other Name: Array
Inclusion Criteria:
- All well-children aged between 6 months and 6 years
Exclusion Criteria:
- Children with chronic illnesses
University of Malaya Medical Center
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Mohammad Y Jalaludin, MBBS MPaeds, Study Director
University of Malaya Medical Center