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Characteristics of severely malnourished under-five children hospitalized with diarrhoea, and their policy

Mohammod J Chisti1, Mohammad I Hossain, Mohammad A Malek

  • 1Clinical Sciences Division, ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|April 28, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Severely malnourished children in Bangladesh often present with older age, lack of breastfeeding, illiterate mothers, and poor sanitation. These factors highlight the need for integrated preventive and management strategies in health and social systems.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Nutrition Science

Background:

  • Severe malnutrition in children under five is a significant global health issue, particularly in resource-limited settings.
  • Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in young children, often exacerbating malnutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify clinical and nutritional characteristics of severely malnourished children under five.
  • To determine associated complications in children treated at an urban diarrheal disease facility in Bangladesh.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study design was employed, comparing severely malnourished children (cases) with those of better nutritional status (controls).
  • Nutritional status was assessed using z-scores for underweight, stunting, and wasting (<-3 z-score for cases).
  • Data were collected between 2000 and 2005.

Main Results:

  • 16% of 6881 children were severely underweight, 11% severely stunted, and 3% severely wasted.
  • Factors associated with severe underweight included older age (>11 months), non-breastfeeding, illiterate mothers, and non-sanitary toilets.
  • Complications included history of measles, dehydrating diarrhea, abnormal lung auscultation findings, and prolonged hospitalization (>48 hours).

Conclusions:

  • Findings underscore the complex interplay of nutritional status, socioeconomic factors, and health conditions in severely malnourished children.
  • There is a critical need for integrated, cost-effective, and sustainable preventive strategies and improved management policies.
  • Enhancements to both health and social support systems in Bangladesh are essential to address severe childhood malnutrition.
Abstract

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