A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the current prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) among Orang Asli schoolchildren and to investigate the potential predictors of malnutrition. A total of 241 (120 males and 121 females) Orang Asli schoolchildren age 7-12 years living in remote areas of Pos Betau, Pahang participated voluntarily in this study. Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were collected and the children were screened for intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalences of mild and significant underweight conditions were 52.3% and 37.3%, respectively, and the prevalences of mild stunting and wasting were 43.6% and 43.1%, respectively, while the prevalences of significant stunting and wasting were 43.6% and 5.6%, respectively. There was a significant association between gender (male) and malnutrition (p = 0.029). The results also showed a higher prevalence of stunting among children age < or = 10 years than in older children (p = 0.001). Other independent variables, including socioeconomic status and intestinal parasitic infections, had no significant associations with malnutrition indices. PEM is prevalent among schoolchildren in rural Malaysia and therefore of public health concern since PEM diminishes immune function and impairs cognitive function and educational performance. School-based programs of prevention through health education and interventions should be considered as an essential part of measures to improve the quality of life of schoolchildren in rural Malaysia.
Anemia is a major public health problem worldwide, with adverse consequences on child growth, development, and survival. This deficiency has affected approximately a quarter of the world population. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and the associated factors among preschool children in the Gaza Strip.
This paper describes the nutritional status of pre-school children and analyzes its relationship to various household socio-economic indicators. Padi, rubber and fishing villages from the Functional Groups Study (1992-1996) were selected for having a high prevalence of child undernutrition, and all children between the ages of 12 and 72 months were measured for their weights and heights in April-May 1998. The NCHS reference values were used to calculate z-scores, which were categorised according to WHO (1983) recommendations. Children between minus 2SD and minus 1SD of reference median were classified as mildly malnourished. Prevalence of underweight was higher (30.5%) than stunting (22.3%), while wasting was only 9.7%. Padi villages had the highest prevalence of undernutrition, followed by fishing, and then rubber villages. Mean household incomes were found to be significantly lower for children with worse nutritional status, and undernutrition was higher in households below the poverty line income. The odds ratios for having stunted children were significantly higher for households whose heads were agricultural own-account workers (OR 3.66, 95% CI = 1.37-9.79), agricultural waged workers (OR 2.75, 95% CI = 1.06-7.10), and non-agricultural manual workers (OR 2.49, 95% CI = 1.04-6.00) compared to non-manual workers. Various household socio-economic indicators showed significantly higher odds ratios for underweight, stunting and wasting. After adjusting for confounding effects by logistic regression analysis, however, only mother's education was found to be a significant predictor for stunting, while poverty level and access to piped water supply were significant predictors for both underweight and stunting. Households without livestock were significant predictors for wasting. Thus, this study identified specific socio-economic factors that should be prioritized for policy and research towards the amelioration of childhood malnutrition in rural areas.
This paper presents the socio-economic profile of households in the Family Dynamics Study (FDS) (1997-2001) and makes comparisons with the earlier Functional Groups Study (FGS) (1992-1996). For the current study, FGS villages with a high prevalence of child malnutrition were purposively selected. In each village selected, all households were included, and interviews with a structured questionnaire were conducted in April-May 1998. Incomes were generally low and incidence of poverty was high; 49.6% of the households were under the poverty line income, of which 37.2% were poor and 12.4% were hard core poor. Overall, only 23.2% of heads of households were in agricultural occupations, others being primarily waged workers and petty traders. Livestock rearing was widespread (57.8%), and most households (90.4%) owned at least one motorised vehicle, the most common being the motorcycle. The majority of households had refrigerators (73.6%), washing machines (58.8%), and televisions (91.1%); but telephones (42.2%), mobile phones (6.1%) and computers (2.3%) were less common. Although 99.7% of households had electricity supply and 95.1% had either a flush or pour flush latrine, only 57.4% had piped water supply. In comparison to the FGS, poverty in the current study is lower (49.6% of FDS households are poor compared to 55.2% of FGS households), the proportion of household heads in agricultural occupations is also lower (26.9% compared to 55.3%), while all other socioeconomic indicators were better, except for piped water supply, which remains inadequate for households in the current study.
Introduction: Child malnutrition continues to be a major public health problem in developing countries. This study aims to determine the current nutritional status of Malaysian school children using the anthropometric indicators of weight for age (WAZ), height for age (HAZ), and body mass index for age (BAZ). Methods: A nationwide school-based survey was undertaken in all Malaysian
states and territories, which included 18,078 children aged 8-10 years attending 445 primary schools. The software WHO AnthroPlus was used to calculate zscores for the nutritional status (WAZ, HAZ and BAZ) of the target population relative to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 reference. Results: The national prevalence of underweight among school children was 13.6% and in
rural areas, this rate was nearly double that of urban areas. The national prevalence rate for stunting was 10.9%, double among rural school children compared to their urban counterparts. As for thinness, the national prevalence was 6.5%. Using the WAZ indicator, we found that the national prevalence of overweight children was 7.6%. Additionally, we found that urban areas showed a higher
prevalence of overweight children (8.8%) than rural areas (5.9%). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that Malaysian school children face the burden of malnutrition, suffering from both undernourishment and overweight. Malaysia must make a concerted effort to overcome the problems of malnutrition among children.
Introduction: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and factors influencing malnutrition among children aged five years and below in Serian District of Sarawak, a district where the majority of people are indigenous. Methods: Using a cross-sectional method, a total of 177 children were randomly selected and assessed, and their mothers or caregivers were interviewed. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire; anthropometric measurements were also taken. Data were analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting in children aged five years and below was 20.9%, 11.9% and 10.2% respectively. The results suggest that the significant factors contributing to underweight are birth weight, frequency of child visit to the clinic, and individual insecurity. Only age, when complementary diet was introduced, was found to be significantly associated with stunting. For wasting, individual insecurity, duration of family planning and met recommended protein intake per day were found to be significant factors. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition in children 5 years and below in Serian District of Sarawak is high compared to state figures. The major contributing factors were found to be manifested at the individual and family level. There is a need for appropriate public health promotion and socio- economic improvement interventions towards improving the nutritional status and health of children in Serian District.
Childhood malnutrition is a multi-dimensional problem. An increase in household income is not sufficient to reduce childhood malnutrition if children are deprived of food security, education, access to water, sanitation and health services. The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of malnourished children below five years of age and to ascertain the risk factors of childhood malnutrition in a state in Malaysia.