Nigeria: The role of nutrition as central to public health’s focus on prenatal care, childhood growth and development

Abstract

Understanding the role of nutrition is important to public health’s focus on prenatal care and childhood growth and development. The  adage “you are what you eat” remains true today for individuals, families, communities and even nations. Generally, food influences  energy levels, physical performance and overall well-being of individuals, as dietary pattern can provide or drain away energy, while also  dictating body’s functioning patterns. These depend on age, sex, weight, allergic disposition, past behaviours and perhaps, even ones  mother's lifestyle before birth. Because no one can achieve complete physical, mental, and social well-being in an otherwise unhealthy  environment, this descriptive research focuses on the link between health and income at the level of individuals, the individual’s  biological environment, and the broader societal milieu. This will help develop a better understanding of the important environmental  and socioeconomic factors that influence people's personal nutritional choices and by extension, their health.