Nutritional Deficiency: A Threat to National Productivity

Nutrients are those substances derived from digested foods and are required for the effective functioning of the body. The importance of nutrients to the body can not be over emphasize because the body need them for building up and repairing tissue; supplying heat and energy; protecting the body from disease; and elimination of waste products from the system. Good nutrition involves eating the right foods that can provide nourishment for the body hence, maintaining a healthy structure at all times. This implies that the right quantities of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins must form a bulk constituent of our meals – a term often referred to as ‘balanced diet’. Nutritionist are of the opinion that, the real place of nutrition in the preservation and sometimes cure of ill-health is in a well balanced diet taken sufficiently at meal times. This will definitely help the body that has lost some vitality to regain physical ability, improve and help the functioning of various organs as well as enzymes of the body.

Quite often, the nutritional needs of infants, adolescents, adults, sedentary and manual workers, pregnant and lactating women, the aged, the invalids and convalescents are not usually met. Added to this, is the misplacement of priority by many while selecting their foods – preference is often made on choice diets over balanced diet. Inability to meet the varying nutritional needs of the aforementioned groups of persons will invariably affect their health which consequently affects their social, mental and physical potentials in life. Nutritional well-being is a pre-requisite for the achievement of the full social, mental and physical potentials of a population so that the people could lead fully productive lives and contribute to the development of the community and the nation with dignity (W.H.O Rome conference, 1992).

In his book; Nutrition: A health Sector Responsibility, Habitch reported that about a billion people in the world suffer from at least one of the five greatest nutritional deficiencies of energy, protein, iron, vitamin A and iodine. At present, that number must have increased significantly judging from the increasing number of malnourished and under-nourished children and adults around the world. Nigeria as a nation is not left out in this palpable situation which poses a serious threat to its citizenry. The nation that is generally under-nourished tends to have high mortality and morbidity rates of young people and children which invariably affect the economic well-being of the country as the productive man-power is usually not available to provide economic growth as noted by Tanimu and Sabo in their book; Nutrition and lifestyle for the Body Immunity.

The effects of these nutritional inadequacies in our diet impairs greatly on the nation’s manpower hence may decline production. One is that the individual from infancy would not have developed strong bones, muscles and stamina. He may become susceptible to disease attack and may experience slow recovery from illness. All these culminate into a physically, mentally and socially impaired individual that can not contribute his own quota towards economic development. Imagine a labour force that is incapacitated through sickness or other ailments, they can not contribute meaningfully thus affecting output levels.

Good and adequate nutrition at all levels of man’s growth is the key to correcting this ugly scenario. The government, NGO’s, corporate bodies and parents (stakeholders) must take necessary actions to ensure that children, youths and adults receive the right and adequate nutrition in order to promote a healthy nation, for a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.