Malnutrition: malnutrition is categorized into under-nutrition and over-nutrition of the basis of deficit or excess of necessary nutrients in our body.
Community Health
Community health problems
Community health is a common issue of all the members living in a society. It can be improved if the community members become conscious about these matters. Community health can be improved by the participation of community members in community health programs and their positive attitude towards the community health issue. Some of the major community health problems existing in Nepal are illiteracy, poverty, malnutrition, environmental pollution, use of tobacco and drugs, alcoholism, prevalence of communicable diseases, superstition, rapid population growth and lack of health services. The major problems are introduced below.
Malnutrition: malnutrition is categorized into under-nutrition and over-nutrition of the basis of deficit or excess of necessary nutrients in our body.
In the context of Nepal, where majority of people are poor, literacy and lack of health precautions, under- nutrition seems to be most prevalent. Oily, spicy, unhealthy, and insufficient and imbalanced diet of Nepalese people is responsible for remarkable under-nutrition in Nepal. Seventy percent of Nepali children below five years of age are suffering from under-nutrition. Malnutrition is not only a problem of children. It affects adults and elderly people as well. But, in children its effects are more harmful.
Prevalence of infectious diseases: Infectious diseases cause infection in organs and tissues. They are caused by the presence of microorganisms like amoeba, virus, and bacteria. Infectious diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, tuberculosis, leprosy, HIV/AIDS, typhoid, hepatitis are major in Nepal. About 45,000 children die in one year due to diarrhea and infectious diseases in Nepal. In the past, epidemic of malaria, smallpox, and cholera had taken many lives in different places. Some diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis are though superstitiously as the result of god’s, curse. Such false beliefs are responsible for people to conceal the diseases or follow wrong methods of treatment leading to death for further communication of diseases to the healthy people. Therefore, the infectious diseases have become a challenging problem in Nepal.
Unhealthy food habits and lifestyle: Most Nepalese people take too heavy meals in the morning and evening. Use of oily, spicy, and hot food has become almost a tradition in Nepal. There is lack of nutritional components like proteins, minerals, and vitamins in the everyday food taken by Nepalese people. In many families, there is a overdose of carbohydrates and facts. Food items must be well-balanced, fresh, nutritious, and frequent and not heavy dose of few items for our better health. Unhealthy habits and lifestyle can be modified by means of right health education and awareness in people.
Poverty: Income level and poverty has direct relationship with health. One’s economic strength determines his/her capacity to obtain food, health education, health services and facilities etc. Diseases are most prevalent in those areas where poverty exists. Nepal is also poor country. People of Nepal are compelled to live with problems of hunger and starvation due to poverty. Therefore, poverty has become a major health problem in Nepalese community.
Rapid population growth: On the one hand, there is lack of health services and facilities and scarcity of health personnel. On the other hand, population growth has been very rapid in Nepal. It will be more difficult to meet the health need of people in the near future if the population grows rapidly and the new health services are not developed proportionately.
Malnutrition: malnutrition is categorized into under-nutrition and over-nutrition of the basis of deficit or excess of necessary nutrients in our body.
