Community nutrition survey in an urban settlement in Papua New Guinea

Results of a small nutrition survey carried out in an urban settlement in Port Moresby are presented. Anthropometric, dietary and socioeconomic data were collected on 90 children under five years old and 78 adults. 30% of the children under five years old were below 80% weight for age. Of the 31% of adults found to be undernourished, the majority were females aged less than 30 years. With respect to dietary information, most families appear to eat a variety of foods though no attempt was made to measure quantity of foods consumed. Rice is the single most popular food, with 69% of adults having consumed it the previous day. Despite the high reliance on purchased foods, income appears to be low with the majority of people relying on money from relatives and the sale of home produce. The recommendations made for appropriate health and nutrition education may be applicable for other growing settlement populations in and around Port Moresby and other urban centres of Papua New Guinea.