[Epidemiologic aspects of infant-juvenile malnutrition in Cotonou, Benin]

The prevalence of malnutrition in Benin has been estimated at 29% and infant-juvenile mortality rate at 156% per hundred. Because there is no specific data on the prevalence of malnutrition in Cotonou, a transverse descriptive study was undertaken to determine the rate and features of malnutrition. Anthropometric measurements were performed in African children who were between 0 and 36 months of age and had been living in Cotonou for at least 6 months. A questionnaire was administered to the mothers of all children including study of risk factors and assessment of food intake for the last 24 hours. A semi-assisted interview was carried out with the mothers of undernourished children to determine awareness of their child's condition. A total of 1085 children were included in the study. The prevalence of malnutrition according to type was 20.6% for stunting (Inadequate height for age or chronic malnutrition), 14.6% for underweight (inadequate weight for age) and 3.6% for wasting (inadequate weight for height or acute malnutrition) including severe cases in 6.4%, 2%, and 9.6% respectively. Our data did not demonstrate a significant correlation between malnutrition and any of the following factors: profession of the father, education of the mother, use of contraception, ongoing pregnancy, number of brothers and sisters, number of siblings, or sleeping under a bed net. Conversely malnutrition was significantly correlated with the following factors: history of malnutrition in siblings, soclo-economic level, inadequate food Intake in the last 24 hours, and regularity of medical surveillance of children (although a significant relationship was not found between malnutrition and activity at health care centers). Findings from the 81 interviews carried out with mothers of undernourished children showed that 35% were unaware of the nutritional status of their child. Only 6.1% of mothers who recognized a development problem attributed it to food intake. Only one third of the mothers of the 75 undernourished children that had been examined in a health care centers had been informed by a health care worker that their child was undernourished and one third of mothers had undertaken no action to Improve the condition of their child.