Perspectives in preschool nutrition

Malnutrition is a grave global public health problem and needs serious attention. The prevalence of malnutrition in under 5 years children in India is high. Hence, there is an urgent need to recognize the nutrition and feeding concerns, the gaps in adequate nutrient intake and bridge them to ensure optimum nutritional care in early childhood. Twenty-eight Pediatricians were selected by purposive sampling from Telangana (n=12) and West Bengal (n=16) to form an advisory board. An advisory board meeting was conducted, which included a presentation on preschool nutrition in an Indian perspective. This was followed by a focused group discussion among the team of experts to gather their views on nutrition concerns of the preschoolers. They gave their opinion on how to address these concerns, role of healthy food drinks, the role of novel nutrients such as prebiotics and docosahexaenoic acid in preschoolers and the importance of nutrition education of mothers by healthcare professionals. Further, the board members pointed out the common micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, Vitamins-A and D, excessive intake of sugar and fat, and indicated a need for micronutrient supplementation, healthy alternatives for sugar and fat, views on healthy food drinks among the preschoolers. The advisory board members were unanimous in their belief that it is essential to create awareness and educate mothers about preschool nutrition and for doctors to include some nutrition counseling time for early childhood nutritional care. This would help to improve the nutritional intake which is essential to ensure optimum growth and development during the preschool age for a healthier future.