Childhood Growth Stunting in Patanatic, Guatemala Mary Katherine Kancel

Objectives Purpose: KU School of Nursing (KU SON) students traveled to Patanatic, Guatemala to provide medical check-ups to the community and surrounding areas. Our efforts focused on well-child exams and home visits to the elderly and the diabetics. Describe the community of Patanatic Explain the prevalence and impact of childhood growth stunting in Guatemala Spread awareness of childhood growth stunting in Guatemala

Patanatic, Guatemala Rural community located 20 minutes from nearby tourist town, Panajachel 3.5 hour bus ride from Guatemala City

The Community Patanatic, Guatemala is a unique community located near Lago de Atitlan Many locals are of indigenous, Mayan descent Speak a mixture of Spanish, K’iche, and Kaqchikel Community is located on the side of a mountain and is divided into four sectors and none of the homes have addresses Nearest hospital is 30 minutes away

Centro Educativo Y De Salud Patanatic Private clinic that allows the community members to have access to healthcare and health education Operates with very few resources Sonia and Ana run the clinic, conduct medical exams, prescribe medications, monitor children’s nutrition and growth, monitor blood glucose, provide prenatal care, etc. Started a multivitamin program called Una Cada Dia

Centro Educativo Y De Salud Patanatic (CESP) CESP is a private community clinic run by two local nurses, Sonia and Ana Soon CESP will have a doctor: Carlos David is a medical student studying to be a surgeon Clinic allows the community to have access to healthcare and health education Community health initiatives include ensuring homes have working water filters and a smokeless stove (plancha)

Growth Stunting Statistics Guatemala has the third highest rate of growth stunting, or chronic malnutrition, worldwide (CDC, 2017) 1 in 2 children under the age of 5 are malnourished (Why Guatemala?, 2018) Indigenous Mayan populations are disproportionately affected 49.8% of all Guatemalan children are undernourished, compared to 69.5% of indigenous Guatemalan children who are undernourished (CDC, 2017)

Impact Many children in Patanatic suffer from growth stunting; many fall below the normal growth curve Malnourished children experience increases in chronic illnesses and disabilities, have impaired brain function, and suffer from loss of physical and economic productivity (Nagata, Gippetti, Wager, Chavez, & Wise, 2016)

Growth Stunting in Guatemala In Guatemala, the most vulnerable are the Mayan communities who live in the highlands, such as Patanatic, where stunting affects almost 70% of children under five (Guatemala) Growth stunting rates are higher among children whose mothers had no education and among those living in poverty (Guatemala) Common for mothers to exclusively breastfeed until child is 2-3 years old Free source of nutrients, but does not provide enough for a growing child

Growth Stunting Interventions Individual: Yearly well-child exams to monitor health, nutrition, and growth Individual: Education on the components of a healthy, balanced diet Community: Una Cada Dia Community: School provides a nutritious snack or meal for the children several times a week System: This year we created a template to standardize documentation in the growth charts

Una Cada Dia Initiative started by Sonia and Ana Each school day, the children receive a multivitamin Sonia stated that since beginning the program, the teachers have noticed improvements in student’s energy levels and attention span

Most Profound Clinical Experience Home visits in the community Gained profound understanding of how the environment, landscape, and living conditions can impact an individual’s health and well-being

Most Profound Cultural Experience The entire experience was incredible Learning how to make tortillas Eye-opening opportunity to learn about how a small business operates

Conclusion Guatemala is a beautiful country with a vibrant culture The community needs more education and increased access to healthy, affordable foods Standardization of growth chart documentation will allow for more accurate growth curves: able to track child’s progress and identify nutrition problems early

References Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Central American Refugee Health Profile. https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/profiles/central- american/health- information/nutrition/index.html Nagata, J. M., Gippetti, J., Wager, S., Chavez, A., & Wise, P. H. (2016). Prevalence and Predictors of Malnutrition among Guatemalan Children at 2 Years of Age. PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0164772. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164772 Why Guatemala? (2018). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://www.mayanfamilies.org/page/guatemalanfacts Guatemala: Nutrition Profile. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1864/USAID- Guatemala_NCP.pdf