Interaction of anorexia and cultural beliefs in infant malnutrition in Mali

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.