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The nutritional status of children in resettlement villages in Kelantan
A Zulkifli1, A Khairul Anuar, A S Atiya
1School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
Insights
Nutritional status of Orang Asli children in Kuala Betis resettlement villages is poor, with high rates of underweight, stunting, and wasting. Malay children showed lower malnutrition prevalence, highlighting a need for targeted primary health care interventions for Orang Asli preschoolers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Resettlement can impact indigenous communities' health.
- Nutritional status assessment is crucial for child development.
- Orang Asli children in Kuala Betis resettlement villages were surveyed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the nutritional status of children aged 1-10 years in Kuala Betis resettlement villages.
- To compare the nutritional status between Orang Asli and Malay children.
- To identify specific nutritional challenges faced by Orang Asli children.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 620 children (329 preschool, 291 school-age).
- Anthropometric measurements: weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC).
- Nutritional status assessed using weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and weight-for-height (WHZ) z-scores against NCHS reference values.
Main Results:
- High malnutrition prevalence in Orang Asli children: 33.7-65.3% underweight, 55.3-74.4% stunting, 4.4-29.7% wasting.
- Malay children exhibited lower malnutrition rates: 7.3-34.1% underweight, 9.8-34.1% stunting, 1.7-17.1% wasting.
- Preschool Orang Asli children had higher stunting rates than Orang Asli schoolchildren.
Conclusions:
- Orang Asli children in Kuala Betis resettlement villages suffer from poor nutritional status compared to Malay children.
- Economic factors post-resettlement may contribute to the observed malnutrition.
- Comprehensive primary health care programs are essential, particularly for preschool-aged Orang Asli children.
Abstract:
A cross-sectional survey of the nutritional status of children aged 1-10 years old from the Kuala Betis resettlement villages was carried out. A total of 620 children were examined, of which 329 were preschool children and 291 were schoolchildren. The age was determined and anthropometric measurements such as weight, height and MUAC were taken. The nutritional status was assessed by looking at the distributions of the z-scores of weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) in relation to the growth charts of the National Center for Health Statistics reference population. It was found that the nutritional status of the Orang Asli children was poor, with a prevalence of 33.7-65.3% underweight, 55.3-74.4% stunting and 4.4-29.7% wasting based on the NCHS reference values. The prevalence of malnutrition among the Malay children was lower, underweight--7.3-34.1%, stunting--9.8-34.1% and wasting--1.7-17.1%. The nutritional status of the Orang Asli children were poorer compared to the Malay children. More preschool Orang Asli children were stunted compared to the Orang Asli schoolchildren. This may be due to the poor economic base of the Orang Asli community during the transformation period after resettlement. A comprehensive primary health care program is essential, especially targeting the preschool Orang Asli children in these resettlement villages.