A Supplementary Study on the Maternal Depletion and Child Malnutrition in Certain Underprivileged Rural Area of Korea

Abstract

The importance and necessity of the maternal and child health is fully recognized, particularly in terms of their nutritional status. The pregnant and lactating women necessitate far more and better nutrition than ordinary times for not only their own survival and health maintenance but also growth and development of their fetus and children(Kim, 1967). In spite of this fact, however, it is reported that the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women is retarded in most developing countries(W.H.O.,1965). On the other hand, infants and children fall under the requisite supply of various nutrients particularly protein. Nevertheless, ignorance, poverty and deficiency of available weaning food are obliged to take the irrational food-stuffs (Jelliffe et al., 1967; Kim, 1967; Choo, 1968). In developing countries like Korea, the major cause of death of infants and children are malnutrition and various infectious diseases, and it was confirmed that these displayed interactions( Scrimshaw et al., 1959; French, 1967). Women in certain underprivileged rural area of Korea are submitted to the overloaded work using unconvenient and inefficient farming tools (School of Public Health, S.N.U., 1964; Phillips, 1954) and their majority ages of adult are allotted for the continuing period of reproduction as the period of gestation and delayed ablactation repeats incessantly(Gopa1an and Belvady, 1961). It is expected, therefore, to drive the grave situation against nutritional problem in the maternal and child health. Followingly, if nutritional consumptions accumulate successively, the maternal depletion syndrome develops (Jelliffe and Maddocks, 1964). In the mental and physical development of human life the decisive stage is the period from fetus to three years after delivery, and during this period nutritional status from per-placenta and quality of weaning food influence to the developmental feature of mind and body (Scrirnshaw, 1967; Chaw et al., 1968).