The relationship between childhood traumatic life experiences and social anxiety disorders.

Malnutrition is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) (2024) as any deficiency, excess or imbalance in an individual’s intake of energy and nutrients. Singh (:4) defines malnutrition as an ‘insufficient intake of energy and nutrients’. This condition negatively affects normal bodily functions, metabolic processes, physical activity levels and overall growth and development in children. Addressing these challenges is essential, as improving the quality of paediatric malnutrition care can generate significant social benefits by enhancing long-term health outcomes and reducing the socio-economic burden on communities (UNICEF :12). Malnourished children worldwide are managed through community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) strategies, which enable community healthcare workers to identify affected children early and initiate treatment before their condition becomes severe (Govender et al. :450). Ready-to-use therapeutic food and other nutrient-dense forms are included in the community-based strategies, which facilitate the early detection and management of severe acute malnutrition in cases without medical complications (Govender et al. :452). These clinical interventions are complemented by primary health care initiatives integrated into the road-to-health booklet system, such as exclusive breastfeeding, immunisation and optimal complementary feeding (Govender et al. :40). A wide range of factors negatively impact the provision of care for children admitted with malnutrition. Globally, nurses report that unreasonable policies, insufficient staffing and excessive administrative burdens hinder effective care, often leading to diminished morale and a lack of support (Buckley et al. 2020:210; Tamata et al. :1201). In various international contexts, these challenges are compounded by limited career progression, financial constraints and the denial of leave because of chronic staff shortages (Moradi et al. :562).