Prevalence Of Undernutrition In Children Research Articles

Nutritional status of school going children and adolescents aged 9-13 years at Haldia in West Bengal, India

Background Malnutrition in children and adolescents is a global problem. In developing nations of Africa and Southeast Asia, the prevalence of undernutrition in children is very high. There is scanty data 'With respect to the nutritional status of school going children and adolescents, especially from sub􀁉urban and rural areas in India.Objective A study was undertaken among boys (n = 174) and girls (n = 128) aged 9􀁉 13 years in a sub􀁉urban area of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal in India to understand age and sex variation of nutritional status of the subjects.Methods A cross􀁉sectional study among the school􀁉going children and adolescent aged 9􀁉 13 years was done during June􀁉September 2009 in Haldia.Results Age and sex variation of anthropometric characteristics (body mass index or BMI and conicity index or CI) revealed that remarkable sections of both the sexes were suffering from underweight (8.30%), stunting (14.60%) and wasting (2.80%). Significant sex differences were observed in cases of mean CI (P=O.OO1), weight􀁉for􀁉age z􀁉score (P = 0.0001) and weight-for-height ,-score (P 􀀂 0.0001).Discussion Besides notable prevalence of under nutrition in both sexes, situation of the girls is worse (underweight - 11.70% and stunting - 21.10%) compared to the boys. This is most evident among the subjects of both sexes aged 11 and 12 years.

Prevalence of Malnutrition in Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Orphans in the Nyanza Province of Kenya: A Comparison of Conventional Indexes with a Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure

The prevalence of undernutrition in children is commonly reported using a conventional index, which identifies three conventional categories: stunting, underweight, and wasting. Recently, a composite index of anthropometric failure was developed to categorize undernutrition into seven mutually exclusive categories, including single failures (stunting, underweight, or wasting) and multiple failures (stunting and underweight, stunting and wasting, underweight and wasting, and stunting and underweight and wasting). This cross-sectional study used baseline data gathered during a feeding program targeting orphans and vulnerable children impacted by human immunodeficiency virus and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Kenya to compare the conventional index with the composite index of anthropometric failure. Children younger than 5 years of age who participated in the feeding trial were included in the analysis (n=170). The conventional index found that the prevalence of undernutrition included 31.2% stunted, 14.1% underweight, and 5.9% wasted children, whereas the composite index of anthropometric failure estimated a more severe overall prevalence rate (38.2%); thus, the conventional index did not uncover the complexity of malnutrition experienced. Of the 53 children classified as stunted by the conventional index, the composite index of anthropometric failure identified 36 (67.9%) as stunted and 17 (32.1%) as stunted and underweight. Thus, the composite index of anthropometric failure was able to distinguish children with multiple anthropometric failures. In total, multiple anthropometric failures were found in 22 of the 65 children with anthropometric failure. These data suggest that the complexity and prevalence of undernutrition may be underestimated using the conventional index because it does not identify children experiencing multiple anthropometric failures. The ability of the composite index of anthropometric failure to identify children with multiple anthropometric failures may have profound implications for prioritizing, designing, and targeting nutritional interventions.

Nutritional Solutions to Major Health Problems of Preschool Children: How to Optimise Growth and Development

Significant opportunities to improve child health globally were provided in the second half of the 20th century. However malnutrition remains a major problem and in many countries the situation seems to have worsened. In a recent report about survival rate in childhood UNICEF remained that the United Nations first Millennium Goal was to eradicate extreme poverty and to reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half between 1990 and 2015 as measured by the percentage of children under five years of age who are underweight. The first Millennium Goal of the United Nations is to eradicate extreme poverty and to reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half between 1990 and 2015 as measured by the percentage of children under 5 y old who are underweight. (excerpt)

Disparities in the prevalence of child undernutrition in Malawi – a crosssectional perspective

Background. Child undernutrition is a significant public health problem in Malawi.Objective. To determine the localisation of underweight, stunting and wasting in three main agricultural development divisions (ADDs) in Malawi.Design. Descriptive population-based cross-sectional study.Setting. Rural subsistence farming communities in Mzuzu, Lilongwe and Blantyre ADDs.Subjects. Children aged 6 - 59.9 months.Outcome measures. Anthropometric measurements were taken to determine the mean weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) and weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ). The prevalences of underweight, stunting and wasting were also determined.Results. The mean WAZ of children from Mzuzu ADD was significantly higher than that of children from Lilongwe ADD (-1.04 v. -1.43, p = 0.001) and Blantyre ADD (-1.04 v. -1.32, p = 0.03). Similarly, children from Mzuzu ADD had significantly higher WHZ than their counterparts from Lilongwe (0.22 v. -0.04, p = 0.021) and Blantyre ADDs (0.22 v. -0.09, p = 0.003). There were no significant between-group differences in mean HAZ ( F = 2.73, p = 0.07). The prevalence of underweight was significantly lower in Mzuzu ADD (16.9%) than Blantyre (25.3%) and Lilongwe (31.3%) ADDs ( 2 = 11.95, p = 0.003). Likewise, stunting was significantly lower in Mzuzu ADD (46.6%) than Blantyre (53.8%) and Lilongwe (61.3%) ADDs ( 2 = 8.71, p = 0.013). There were no differences in the prevalence of either stunting or underweight between Lilongwe and Blantyre ADDs.Conclusion. The differences in prevalence of malnutrition among preschool children in the three agro-ecological zones may result from differences in ecological, demographic, social, economic and other pressures that these populations are exposed to. As Malawi decentralises most of its public services, there is a need for nutrition and health managers in specific areas to formulate uniquely localised programmes to deal effectively with the gravity and presumed diverse causes of nutrition problems. Some blanket national interventions are less likely to help in addressing local problems.

Poverty, child undernutrition and morbidity: new evidence from India.

Undernutrition continues to be a primary cause of ill-health and premature mortality among children in developing countries. This paper examines how the prevalence of undernutrition in children is measured and argues that the standard indices of stunting, wasting and underweight may each be underestimating the scale of the problem. This has important implications for policy-makers, planners and organizations seeking to meet international development targets. Using anthropometric data on 24 396 children in India, we constructed an alternative composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) and compared it with conventional indices. The CIAF examines the relationship between distinct subgroups of anthropometric failure, poverty and morbidity, showing that children with multiple anthropometric failures are at a greater risk of morbidity and are more likely to come from poorer households. While recognizing that stunting, wasting and underweight reflect distinct biological processes of clear importance, the CIAF is the only measure that provides a single, aggregated figure of the number of undernourished children in a population.

Programs to Improve Production and Consumption of Animal Source Foods and Malnutrition in Vietnam

The objective of this paper is to review programs to improve production of animal source foods in Vietnam, emphasizing the VAC ecosystem and trends in undernutrition during past decades. The food consumption surveys of the Vietnamese population in 1985 showed that food intake was inadequate, especially animal protein. Most protein came from rice; the consumption of meats, beans and fish was negligible. During the last 10 y, much attention was paid to improving the health and nutritional status of the Vietnamese people. Many programs were implemented in Vietnam to improve the food intake and nutritional status of the people, and especially the intake of animal source foods. The VAC system is a traditional type of farming for Vietnamese people. The aim of VAC is to provide diversified agricultural products to meet the complex nutritional demands of man. Based on the scientific fundamentals of VAC, many different models of VAC have been developed at a national level. The intervention programs to improve production and consumption of animal source foods, and the VAC ecosystem in Vietnam during the last decade have been successful. The population's dietary intakes have clearly improved in terms of both quality and quantity. The consumption of staple foods in 2000, including meats, fish, fats and oils, and ripe fruits was much higher compared to 1987. The prevalence of undernutrition in children <5 y old, and of chronic energy deficiency (CED) in women of reproductive age, has been remarkably reduced.

Relation between objectively measured feeding competence and nutrition in children with cerebral palsy

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of undernutrition in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to determine the relation with feeding ability. Ninety children with CP from special needs schools were examined. Undernutrition was diagnosed on one or more of the following criteria: weight <2nd centile, triceps or subscapular skinfold measurement <3rd centile, mid-arm circumference <5th centile. Feeding competence was scored with respect to seven specific oromotor tasks using the Multidisciplinary Feeding Profile. Thirty-six participants (40%) had diplegia, 29 (33%) quadriplegia, 13 (14%) hemiplegia, and 12 participants (13%) had dyskinetic CP. Age ranged from 2.6 to 18.7 years (mean 10.8 years). Forty-six percent (41 of 90) were undernourished. In all aspects of feeding, those undernourished had lower feeding competence scores compared to adequately nourished children (p<0.002). Each modality of feeding competence correlated significantly to the centiles of weight, triceps or subscapular skinfold measurement and mid-arm circumference (p<0.02). A positive association of weight, triceps skinfold measurement, and mid-arm circumference with chewing ability was present independent of other feeding modalities (p<0.05). Undernutrition was common in this group and was associated with poorer feeding ability.

Relation between objectively measured feeding competence and nutrition in children with cerebral palsy

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of undernutrition in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to determine the relation with feeding ability. Ninety children with CP from special needs schools were examined. Undernutrition was diagnosed on one or more of the following criteria: weight &lt;2nd centile, triceps or subscapular skinfold measurement &lt; 3rd centile, mid‐arm circumference &lt;5th centile. Feeding competence was scored with respect to seven specific oromotor tasks using the Multidisciplinary Feeding Profile. Thirty‐six participants (40%) had diplegia, 29 (33%) quadriplegia, 13 (14%) hemiplegia, and 12 participants (13%) had dyskinetic CP. Age ranged from 2.6 to 18.7 years (mean 10.8 years). Forty‐six percent (41 of 90) were undernourished. In all aspects of feeding, those undernourished had lower feeding competence scores compared to adequately nourished children (p&lt;0.002). Each modality of feeding competence correlated significantly to the centiles of weight, triceps or subscapular skinfold measurement and mid‐arm circumference (p&lt;0.02). A positive association of weight, triceps skinfold measurement, and mid‐arm circumference with chewing ability was present independent of other feeding modalities (p&lt;0.05). Undernutrition was common in this group and was associated with poorer feeding ability.

The Consequences of Hidden Hunger for Individuals and Societies

The author is the 1991 laureate of the World Food Prize the foremost international award recognizing outstanding individual achievement in improving the quality quantity or availability of food in the world. Dr. Scrimshaw is the first nutritionist to receive the prize with all earlier recipients recognized for efforts in production agriculture. He describes the magnitude and consequences of the various kinds of hidden hunger which still devastate a large proportion of the worlds population and demonstrates that the conquest of hidden hunger is essential to the human future. Sections discuss chronic undernutrition in adults protein-calorie malnutrition in children the prevalence of undernutrition in children and adults the importance of dietary protein micronutrient deficiencies the demographic significance of child mortality due to hunger overcoming hunger political mobilization for the conquest of hunger nutrient excesses and our obligation to the human future.