Crawford Michael A
Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, London Metropolitan University, North Campus, 166-220 Holloway Rd, London N7 8DB.
Nutr Health. 2008;19(3):175-86. doi: 10.1177/026010600801900303.
The child poverty not an independent condition: it is intimately related to the ecology of the family. It elimination will involve the elimination poor maternal nutrition, low birthweight and its life long consequences in chronic ill health and poor learning. Maternal nutrition and health is a prime determinant of the future of the child and also of her own health, mental state and ability to manage child care. Maternal nutrition and health is also relevant to the future employment opportunities, health, skills and literacy and social behaviour of the new born. Poor maternal nutrition and adverse outcomes conspire to maintain the state of poverty. Children need to be empowered by knowledge. Nutrition, health and home economics should be introduced from pre-school to advanced levels in the school curriculum. It makes little sense to educate children with everything they need to know except how to take charge of their own health, reproductive capacity, cognitive development and that of their own children that they are likely bear. Today non-communicable diseases account for more deaths than all the HIV-AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined. The Global Forum for Health predicts that the top three burdens of ill health world-wide will by 2020 be heart disease, perinatal conditions (adverse pregnancy outcomes) and mental ill-health. Unfavourable nutritional conditions contribute substantially to the cause of these three conditions and other non-communicable diseases. Yet children today grow up in ignorance of the science of nutrition and health and become leaders in industry and government with little understanding of nutritional science which could, if taught properly, lead to large scale reductions in chronic disorders, substantial cost savings in the health services and especially in the enhancement of population skills and prosperity. It is also evident that education alone will not suffice. The priority in human development is vested in the brain. Nutrition and food policies last century were based on protein and growth. This century they should be re-aligned to take the human priority of the brain nutrition into account.
它与家庭生态密切相关。消除儿童贫困将涉及消除孕产妇营养不良、低体重出生及其对慢性疾病和学习能力差的长期影响。孕产妇营养和健康是儿童未来以及其自身健康、精神状态和育儿能力的主要决定因素。孕产妇营养和健康还与新生儿未来的就业机会、健康、技能、识字能力和社会行为相关。孕产妇营养不良和不良后果共同维持着贫困状态。儿童需要通过知识获得力量。应在学校课程中从学前到高级阶段引入营养、健康和家政学。只教授孩子们所需了解的一切，却不教他们如何掌控自己的健康、生殖能力、认知发展以及未来可能生育的子女的认知发展，这毫无意义。如今，非传染性疾病导致的死亡人数超过了艾滋病、疟疾和结核病的总和。全球健康论坛预测，到2020年，全球健康负担最重的三大疾病将是心脏病、围产期疾病（不良妊娠结局）和精神疾病。不良营养状况在很大程度上导致了这三种疾病以及其他非传染性疾病的发生。然而，如今的孩子们在对营养和健康科学一无所知的情况下长大，成为工业界和政府的领导者，却对营养科学知之甚少。如果能正确教授营养科学，就可以大幅减少慢性疾病，在医疗服务方面节省大量成本，特别是能提高人口技能和促进繁荣。同样明显的是，仅靠教育是不够的。人类发展的重点在于大脑。上个世纪的营养和食品政策基于蛋白质和生长。本世纪应重新调整，将大脑营养这一人类重点考虑在内。
