Immediate Consequences
Mariana weighing a patient. The scale is 5-6
inches off the ground -- notice the difference in height.
The first, and most physically apparent effect that has resulted from malnutrition in Guatemala, is stunting. When I first arrived in Guatemala, I remember feeling like a giant. I, who am the shortest person in my family at the height of 5 feet and 4 inches, was taller than over half of the males and probably 99% of the females. I had never really questioned why the Guatemalan people were short before, I had assumed that it was due 100% to genetics, but as I began to work in the clinic, my observations made me question my initial thoughts. Our first day in the clinic, I took note of the doctors and nurses we worked with, they were significantly taller. Almost all male staff were taller than me. A few were even around average height for an American male. Of the women that worked in the clinic, probably 60% were about my height. I couldn’t help questioning this. In the United States, most doctors arise from somewhat affluent families. If this held true in Guatemala, maybe their families had provided them with a more complete diet as children and thus growth was affected. Or maybe, in a backwards way, the staff had been able to become more educated because they had had a more complete diet as children which resulted in a greater mental capacity as well as a taller stature.
But this wasn’t my only observation. I also observed that the patients that I measured and who were being treated by this clinic offered to only impoverished families, were short. While weighing patients, I noticed that even when they were standing on the scale (which came up about five inches off the ground) I was taller than most of the males and and even more of the females of the females. It was the stark contrast between the height of the doctors and staff and those of the patients that caused me to realize that the stature of many Guatemalan people is dependent on more than just genetics. I became aware of the fact that “malnutrition impairs physical growth” (Eric Munoz 1) and the stature of these people was just a sign of the prevalence of malnutrition.
But physical appearance isn’t everything. While it is nice to be tall (believe me I would do almost anything to grow even just two more inches!) improving stature does not seem to be a pressing issue when many of the same people don’t have a sturdy roof over their heads, if they have a roof at all. So why then is malnutrition so detrimental since most of these people aren’t actually starving? Unfortunately, malnutrition affects more than just stature. A lack of proper nutrients also causes long-term “cognitive impairment, leading to lost productivity” (Eric Munoz 1). While working with children at schools, the lack of cognitive development was to me astounding. Many children up to 12 years old did not know simple data such as their own birthdays or their age, and a surprising amount of five and six year olds neither knew or responded to their own name! I thought at first this might be due to lack of stimulation at home, or even in the classroom, but after sitting in on classes, and after watching mothers dote on these same children waiting in the clinic to see a doctor, it became apparent to me that something more was causing the impaired cognitive development.
Many studies have been done to measure the effects of malnutrition in cognitive development. One highly controlled experiment analyzed the effects of malnutrition on cognitive development in rats. These rats were exposed to different levels and types of malnutrition starting at different ages, including immediate postnatal periods. It was concluded that, “protein malnutrition as well as under-nutrition induced impaired learning and retention when imposed during the immediately postnatal period” (Alamey et al). This research is incredibly relevant as protein malnutrition is highly prevalent in rural Guatemalan villages. A second study, "Early Protein Malnutrition Disrupts Cerebellar Development and Impairs Motor Coordination”, focused on pre-natal malnutrition and published similar findings.
Both of these studies were conducted in a scientific setting with many controls, clearly showing links between malnourishment and cognitive development. However they do not show the secondary effects that malnutrition can produce nor the importance of cognitive and physical development in human culture.
But this wasn’t my only observation. I also observed that the patients that I measured and who were being treated by this clinic offered to only impoverished families, were short. While weighing patients, I noticed that even when they were standing on the scale (which came up about five inches off the ground) I was taller than most of the males and and even more of the females of the females. It was the stark contrast between the height of the doctors and staff and those of the patients that caused me to realize that the stature of many Guatemalan people is dependent on more than just genetics. I became aware of the fact that “malnutrition impairs physical growth” (Eric Munoz 1) and the stature of these people was just a sign of the prevalence of malnutrition.
But physical appearance isn’t everything. While it is nice to be tall (believe me I would do almost anything to grow even just two more inches!) improving stature does not seem to be a pressing issue when many of the same people don’t have a sturdy roof over their heads, if they have a roof at all. So why then is malnutrition so detrimental since most of these people aren’t actually starving? Unfortunately, malnutrition affects more than just stature. A lack of proper nutrients also causes long-term “cognitive impairment, leading to lost productivity” (Eric Munoz 1). While working with children at schools, the lack of cognitive development was to me astounding. Many children up to 12 years old did not know simple data such as their own birthdays or their age, and a surprising amount of five and six year olds neither knew or responded to their own name! I thought at first this might be due to lack of stimulation at home, or even in the classroom, but after sitting in on classes, and after watching mothers dote on these same children waiting in the clinic to see a doctor, it became apparent to me that something more was causing the impaired cognitive development.
Many studies have been done to measure the effects of malnutrition in cognitive development. One highly controlled experiment analyzed the effects of malnutrition on cognitive development in rats. These rats were exposed to different levels and types of malnutrition starting at different ages, including immediate postnatal periods. It was concluded that, “protein malnutrition as well as under-nutrition induced impaired learning and retention when imposed during the immediately postnatal period” (Alamey et al). This research is incredibly relevant as protein malnutrition is highly prevalent in rural Guatemalan villages. A second study, "Early Protein Malnutrition Disrupts Cerebellar Development and Impairs Motor Coordination”, focused on pre-natal malnutrition and published similar findings.
Both of these studies were conducted in a scientific setting with many controls, clearly showing links between malnourishment and cognitive development. However they do not show the secondary effects that malnutrition can produce nor the importance of cognitive and physical development in human culture.