Poverty affects a child’s health in ways that can’t be put into words. It not only affects health but also puts mental well-being at risk. According to the statistics, about 45% of children under the age of 5 die due to undernutrition. In addition, there’s no access to quality schools to build a child’s future. Charities like Yad Ezra V’Shulamit are striving hard to eradicate child hunger and help these children complete their education.
Poverty is the leading cause of child hunger that can cause mental ailments as well. Not only it affects the childhood of a child but also indulges him in child labor to fulfill the basic needs of the family. In this article, we will discuss how a child’s health is affected by poverty.
Affects Child’s Mental Well Being
The effect of poverty starts to begin before a child is even born. In poverty, the mother who’s carrying a child is not able to fulfill the nutritional requirements because of a lack of food. She can not have the nutritional supplements suggested by the doctor because of a lack of money. In short, nutritional deficiencies affect the development of a child before he’s even born.
If the child survives the pregnancy somehow, a plethora of problems awaits him. He would have no access to basic vaccination and medication. This can make children prone to diseases like poliomyelitis, typhoid, rubella, measles, etc. In addition, growing up in an environment full of stress and lack of resources directly affects your mental health.
Malnourishment
Poverty contributes to malnourishment in children. A child can be malnourished and not feel hungry at the same time. Malnourishment happens when your body is lacking in basic nutrients like vitamins and minerals. It not only affects the efficiency of your body but also puts your immune system at risk. Eventually, the body finds it hard to heal even from smaller health issues.
Malnourishment is more than just a lack of food. It is a lack of essential nutrients from your body. For instance, there’s a possibility that you have calcium in your body but lack vitamin D. As a result calcium won’t be absorbed by your body because vitamin D assists its absorption. The body will feel lethargic and muscle aches would be common.
Affects Cognitive Development
According to research, around 20% of children living in the US are facing poverty. Poverty affects the early development of the brain as at that time, the brain is developing rapidly. In the early phase, the child is learning to speak, behave, control emotions, etc. Poverty affects cognitive development drastically in children and has poor outcomes at a later stage of their life.
Childhood poverty affects the brain badly as children take constant stress and anxiety for long periods. This reduces their ability to learn new things and also tends to affect their memory. Children with poverty often end up in child labor instead of school which also affects their personality. In addition, a house with poverty has a lot of issues like lack of food, lack of resources, domestic violence and fights, etc. Growing up in such an environment can affect the child badly.
Risk Of Developing Psychological Problems
Poverty can cause psychological disorders in children. The brain of children is at a developing stage. Stressful situations, child labor, domestic violence, etc negatively affect brain development. In addition, children who are facing poverty do not have time or place to play with friends and make new bonds. Such children lack emotional support. Moreover, all these factors contribute to psychological disorders in children. It makes them mentally and emotionally unstable.
The children who suffer from poverty are also victims of personality disorders. They find it hard to behave like a normal person. It’s like they have two personalities, one for the outside world and the other for their home. In addition, psychological disorders are not easy to tackle as no medication can change the negative effects of the past indulged in poverty.
Low Brain Function
Poverty leads to malnourishment. And malnourishment affects the overall health of the children. They find it hard to learn new things and practice them. Even if the children get enrolled in school, they won’t participate actively because of low brain function. Malnourishment affects brain development and functioning. Essential nutrients are required to keep the body active and increase the efficiency of the brain.
In addition, having continuously poor performance can lead to dropping out of school. Therefore, poverty affects social skills, behavior, emotional intelligence, etc. in children and makes them a liability instead of a useful resource. Eradicating poverty is the solution to all root problems and turning this liability into a useful resource that can contribute to the country’s economy.
