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NOVEMBER 2008
NEW PROJECT!
Understanding and Overcoming Childhood Malnutrition in Maya Families
Yucatán has had among the highest levels of childhood malnutritionin México for many years. Unfortunately, government programs designed to attack this problem show poor results. Most newborns in Yucatán have normal heights and weights; the problem begins almost immediately after birth, when they fail to grow and gain weight as expected.It is also interesting that in many communities, infants who are malnourished come from families with similar incomes to families whose children are not malnourished. Poor nutritional status leads not only to physical health problems, but learning and attention problems as well. The effects of this chronic malnutrition are far reaching and serious.
Dr. Heriberto Cuanalo of the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzadas (Center for Research and Advanced Studies, or CINVESTAV) has been working in the rural eastern part of the state for many years. He is an agronomist with an interest in nutritional issues and a concern for the effects of poor nutrition on low income rural families, and more generally, in working with these families to combat poverty with sustainable income generating activities.
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Dr. Cuanalo is hopeful that funding will soon be received through an international consortium to reinvigorate these activities. In the meantime, we intend to begin work on the nutrition project in the small town of Tabi, where 95% of the families receive government assistance and the incidence of childhood malnutrition is very high.
GOAL: Prevent malnutrition through a better understanding of the physical, biological and psychological environment of the home, family practices around food and feeding, and the illnesses experienced by young children in their first two years.
PLAN: Necessarily, this will be an action project as well as a systematic investigation of the conditions surrounding malnutrition. Mothers of newborns and other significant family members will be involved not only as informants, but as participants in the attempt to understand and remediate the negative situation that arises for their children who are not adequately nourished.
The families involved will be those with infants born in 2008, and in the subsequent years 2009 and 2010. We estimate (based on experience) that there will be about twenty births a year, giving us a group of around sixty children and their families.
YOU CAN HELP! This collaborative project can begin as soon as we receive funds for basic expenses- primarily gasoline for travel to Tabi, on-site expenses for project staff and recordkeeping materials such as growth charts. Drs. Cuanalo and Schuman will work with the mothers of Tabi, the staff of the health center there, and a student researcher to carry out project activities.
Please Donate Now, using our online donations page and the secure system maintained for non-pprfits by Paypal.com.
THANK YOU! You will receive a letter acknowledging your contribution for tax purposes.
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