Pre-Depature Research Critique

While in India I interested in exploring how mental health of children ages 1-13, is affected by being malnourished, families lacking access to proper education and access to health care. I wish to look at the behaviors such as willingness to participate in activities, overall mood, grades, and maladaptive behaviors that require discipline.

During the initial years of life, children's physical health and brain development depend on them receiving a healthy diet. Malnutrition and hunger put children's health, growth, education, and preparation for the workforce in danger. Despite the importance of having access to food, according to USDA more than nine million children in America faced hunger in 2021, that is approximately 1 in 8 children are at risk for hunger(Rabbitt et al., 2022).

Research shows that food insecurity leads to increased risk of mental health challenges, poor interpersonal skills, difficulty being engaged in the classroom as well as tardiness and absence from school. Students that participate in school breakfast, however, show improved behavior, attendance, and academic performance (Children’s Defense Fund, 2021). One of the ways schools combated this hunger problem is by providing students from low-income families with free or reduced lunch and breakfast. Federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been implemented to help prevent families from going hungry, improves health, and improve academic performance.

India is the second most populous country in the world, and it contains 25% of the world population suffering from malnourishment. Food insecurity increases the risk of other health issues and can affect their performance in schools. Being hungry causes children to have difficulty with memory and concentration and impairs their cognitive development. Another side effect of malnutrition is shame and guilt which is damaging to mental health. These negative emotions cause behavioral problems at school and with parents.

One assumption that I had was that India did not have organization or programs that helped fight food insecurities. However, after researching I learned that there are programs that are working to solve the hunger crisis in India. In 2013, Indian Parliament approved the National Food Security Act (NFSA) providing food for “two-thirds of India’s total population of 125 billion to 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals per month at highly subsidized prices” (Kishore & Chakrabarti, 2015). There are also programs that the government are rejecting such as a school lunch program proposed by Madhya Pradesh. The program proposal was to provide eggs to preschool children in tribal villages to provide protein.

It also never occurred to me that obesity would be a problem in this country because I associated not having access to food with weight loss and not weight gain. However, as I researched, I learned that a family’s finances dictates both access to food and the type of food one will consume. Healthy foods that are high in nutrition are more expensive and out of reach. Therefore, it is more affordable to eat innutritious foods. India’s diet once consisted of grains, but it is now composed of processed foods which are high in fat and low in nutrition causing obesity. The consumption of these foods has a significant effect on children’s health and energy levels.

During my research I would like to know if there are places that children and families who are in need of food can go. I am interested to know how the school system treats the students who are suffering from hunger. Are they aware of the food insecurity and how it can be affecting that child’s ability in school? In the United States research has been done on the side effects hunger can have on a child’s health, development, and academic success. I wonder if there is a similar awareness in India but a lack of resources to act on the knowledge.

During my time in India, I would like to interview parents of children suffering from malnourishment and obesity. I want to ask them what has led their family to this predicament and if there are facing any other health issues. I want to interview teachers and ask them about differences in grades, willingness to participate, and in behavior between students who are undernourished and those who are fed well. I would also like to ask the kids how they are doing and what are their opinions on food insecurity in India and in their own home.

Recently while working at a non-profit after school program called Branches that serves low-income families. I had the privilege of serving students ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I encountered and developed a relationship with a variety of students who did not always have the ideal living environment. I witnessed firsthand the benefits of the services that we provided them. Our care has been crucial to their development and has made them more emotionally intelligent, educationally astute, and overall happier people. My passion for children grew exponentially from this experience as I realized that even in my limited capacity, I was able to positively impact their lives. With proper training and extensive schooling, I will be more equipped to ignite change in our youth.

My current goal now is to become a child’s psychiatrist and to create my own outreach programs/practices so I can give back to community by pouring into our future adults. My journey to accomplish this hefty goal starts now as I travel to India and will come across children without many economic opportunities. Hopefully, I will be able to use the research to prepare me for medical schools and my future endeavors.

One personal concern I have while researching in India is the openness of parents. Some parents may not feel comfortable having their child being studied or feel the need to not answer questions truthfully. I will try my very best to make sure both parents and children feel comfortable when conducting my research, in hope that I will be able to learn more and help them in the future.

References:

Kishore, A., & Chakrabarti, S. (2015). Is more inclusive more effective? The ‘New Style’public distribution system in India. Food Policy, 55, 117-130.

Rabbitt, M. P., Coleman-Jensen, A., Gregory, C. A., & Singh, A. (2022, September). Household food security in the United States in 2021. USDA ERS. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=104655

The State of America’s Children 2020 - child hunger and Nutrition. Children’s Defense Fund. (2021, May 4). https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/resources/soac-2020-child-hunger/