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Stunting, wasting, and mid upper arm circumference status among children admitted to Nemazee Teaching Hospital
Seyed Mohsen Dehghani1, Hazhir Javaherizadeh, Masoomeh Heidary
1. dehghanism@sums.ac.ir.
Insights
Nearly half of children admitted to the hospital for the first time show signs of malnutrition, with stunting affecting 48.5% and underweight affecting 47%. These findings highlight the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies in pediatric populations without prior health issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Cross-sectional Studies
Background:
- Nutritional status is a critical determinant of child health and development.
- Assessing nutritional status in children without prior hospital admissions is essential for identifying subclinical deficiencies.
- This study focuses on a pediatric population in Iran, contributing to regional health data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the nutritional status of children experiencing their first hospital admission.
- To determine the prevalence of malnutrition based on height-for-age (H/A) and weight-for-age (W/A) criteria.
- To identify the extent of malnutrition, including stunting, underweight, and obesity, in this specific pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted.
- Approximately 400 children aged 6 months to 18 years were included in the sample.
- Exclusion criteria targeted children with chronic diseases or conditions affecting nutritional status.
Main Results:
- Out of 430 children (225 boys, 175 girls), 48.5% were stunted (H/A) and 47% were malnourished (W/A).
- Malnutrition degrees varied: mild (29.5%), moderate (13.5%), and severe (4%) based on W/A.
- Overweight and obesity were noted in 10% and 16% respectively (BMI), with severe obesity in 1%.
Conclusions:
- A significant prevalence of malnutrition (48.5% by H/A, 47% by W/A) was observed in children without prior hospital admissions.
- These findings underscore the importance of nutritional assessment in first-time pediatric hospital admissions.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for addressing malnutrition in children.
Introduction And Aim:
The aim of this study was to evaluate nutritional status in children without prior hospital admission or evidence of chronic disease.
Subjects And Methods:
The current study is a cross-sectional and observational study which was conducted for assessing the nutritional status of children. In this study, consecutive sampling was used, with a sample size about 400 children aged 6 months to 18 years at first hospital admission. All subjects were hospitalized consecutively in the Pediatric Emergency Department of the Nemazee Teaching Hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran). All children with evidence or history of chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis, microcephaly, macrocephaly due to congenital infection or abnormal skull shape, patients with muscular or neurological problem, with prolonged steroid usage, nephrotic syndrome, cardiac problem, and protein loosing enteropathy were excluded from the study. The duration of the study was six months, starting from January 2016.
Results:
In the current study, 430 (225 boys and 175 girls) cases were included. Mean age was 5.39 (SEM 0.23) for boys and 5.78 (SEM 0.38) for girls. According to H/A criteria (current height/ideal height), 194 (48.5%) patients were stunted, 75 (18.8%) were mild, 49 (12.3%) were moderate and 70 (17.5%) were severe. According to W/A data (current weight/ideal weight), 188 (47%) of the patients studied were malnourished. Of these cases, 118 (29.5%) had mild malnutrition; 54 (13.5%), moderate; and 16 (4%), severe. According to body mass index (BMI), 40 (10%) patients were overweight, four (16%) were obese, and four (1%) were severe obese. In relation to middle upper arm circumference (MUAC), 56 (14%) patients were malnourished, 33 (8.3%) were at risk, 14 (3.5%) presented moderate malnutrition, and 9 (2.3%), severe malnutrition.
Conclusion:
Prevalence of malnutrition among children without prior admission was 48.5% (according to H/A). According to W/A, 47% of children had different degrees of malnutrition.
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