Interaction of anorexia and cultural beliefs in infant malnutrition in Mali
- 1 January 1989
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in American Journal of Human Biology
- Vol. 1 (6), 683-695
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.1310010606
Abstract
Anorexia, the lack of a normal appetite or refusal to eat, has been reported among infants and young children worldwide. Many factors can contribute to anorexia, including a monotonous diet, chronic malnutrition, zinc deficiency, disease, anxiety, intestinal parasites, and sores in the mouth. At the same time, ethnographic research reveals wide variation in how, and to what extent, caretakers control food consumption (both quality and quantity) in infants generally, and how they deal with anorexia specifically. In some cultures, children are given considerable autonomy in deciding what and how much food to eat, even when anorectic. In other groups, Children's diets are closely monitored by adult caretakers and anorectic children are urged, or even forced, to eat. Theoretically, the potential for wildespread malnutrition and accompanying growth failure, even in the presence of adequate dietary resources, will be highest in populations which exhibit an interaction of (1) multiple conditions leading to anorexia and (2) cultural beliefs which allow children autonomy in food consumption decisions. Research in Mali provides examples of the potential consequences of the combination for child growth.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cry Babies, Culture, and Catastrophe: Infant Temperament Among the MasaiPublished by Springer Nature ,1987
- Breastfeeding and weaning in Mali: Cultural context and hard dataSocial Science & Medicine, 1987
- Infant feeding in Mali, West Africa: Variations in belief and practiceSocial Science & Medicine, 1986
- Zinc Bioavailability from Vegetarian DietsPublished by American Chemical Society (ACS) ,1983
- The Role of Phytate in Zinc Bioavailability and HomeostasisPublished by American Chemical Society (ACS) ,1983
- A Redefinition of Zinc DeficiencyPublished by American Chemical Society (ACS) ,1983
- Zinc Absorption in HumansPublished by American Chemical Society (ACS) ,1983
- Failure to thrive: diagnostic yield of hospitalisation.Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1982
- Ecological Factors Relating to Child Growth and Nutritional StatusPublished by Springer Nature ,1974
- Low Levels of Zinc in Hair, Anorexia, Poor Growth, and Hypogeusia in ChildrenPediatric Research, 1972