What is childhood illness?
Relates to conditions where is the a marked declining of a child’s health status which is also an indicator of declining nutritional patterns.

Most frequent dietary problems in children:

• Underweight/poor growth/failure to thrive
  Causes:
  - Medical reason
  - Diet too high in fibre or too low in fat
  - Insufficient vitamins and minerals
  Management:
  - Provide nutrient rich food(full cream milk, cheese, meat, eggs…)
  - Increase frequency of eating
• Overweight/Obesity
  Causes:
  - Too many fat-rich and sugar-rich food
  Management:
  - Provide balanced diet
  - provide fulling snacks of fruits and sandwiches
  - Establish regular pattern of meals & snacks
• Poor formation of teeth, bones, and dental disease
  Causes:
  - Lack of calcium and flouride
  - Too many sugar-rich or acid-rich food
  Management:
  - Consult dentist
  - Increase high calcium-rich food
• Lack of iron/anaemia/lethargy
  Causes:
  - Vegetarian or non-red meat eater
  - Insufficient intake of iron-rich food
  - lack of vitamin C
  Management:
  - Increase red meat intake
  - Increase vitamin C intake
  - Increase food intake
• Constipation
  Causes:
  - Insufficient natural sugars
  - Insufficient liquid intake
  - Insufficient fruit and vegetable intake
  Management:
  - Increase range and quantity of fruits, vegetables
  - Increase fluid intake
• Mild diarrhoea
  Causes:
  - Due to high intake of sugard or fruit juices
  Management:
  - Limit sugar consumption
  - monitor intake of fruits and high fibre food
  - Ensure high intake of water
• Food fads/food refusal
  Causes:
  - Dislike certain food or refuse to try new food
  Management:
  - Prevent any form of conflict
  - Remove offending food without fuss, do not offer alternative
  - Ensure snacks are not low nutrient, high sugar or high fat
  - Do not fill up with other food

If there are children that require special diet attention due to certain medical conditions, care details must be obtained from medical specialist on details and implications of dietary provision, likely reactions, emergency procedures. Example od physical distree and illness:

• Food intolerance such as lactose intolerance
• Food allergy
• Gastro-intestinal disorder
• Coeliac disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Phenylketnuria(PKU)
• Diabetes
• Tooth decay

Common illness in children:
- Cold/flur
- Chicken pox
- Dry mouth
- Painful throat/sore mouth