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Trends in the nutritional status of Salvadorian children: the post-war experience
L M Grummer-Strawn1, J M Cáceres, B P Herrera de Jaimes
1Division of Nutrition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724 USA.
Insights
Nutritional status improved in El Salvadorian children between 1988 and 1993, with significant reductions in low weight-for-age and low height-for-age. Repeated national surveys highlight progress in child nutrition post-civil war.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Examined nutritional status of children in El Salvador from 1988 to 1993.
- Covered the period before and after the El Salvadoran peace accord ending the civil war.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in the nutritional status of young children.
- To assess the impact of the peace accord on child malnutrition indicators.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from two national surveys.
- Included anthropometric measurements (height and weight) of children aged 3-59 months.
- Analyzed prevalence of low weight-for-age, low weight-for-height, and low height-for-age.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of low weight-for-age decreased from 15% to 10.5%.
- Prevalence of low height-for-age fell from 28.1% to 22%.
- Low weight-for-height remained minimal, decreasing from 3.9% to 2.9%.
Conclusions:
- Observed declines in malnutrition indicators suggest improved child nutritional status.
- Improvements were attributed to an upward shift in children's weight and height distributions.
- The study underscores the value of repeated nutritional status surveys for monitoring child health.
Abstract:
This article examines trends in the nutritional status of children in EI Salvador between 1988 and 1993 (before and after the signing of a peace accord that ended the civil war.) The data derive from two national surveys, each of which included measurements of the height and weight of children aged 3-59 months. The prevalence of low weight-for-age (< -2 SD) dropped from 15% in 1988 to 10.5% in 1993. The prevalence of low weight-for-height (< -2 SD) was minimal in both surveys: falling from 3.9% to 2.9%. The prevalence of low height-for-age (< -2 SD) fell from 28.1% to 22%. These declines in malnutrition indicators resulted from an upward shift in the distributions of weight and height of children, not from thinner lower tails of the distributions. The quality of anthropometric data appears to be high for both surveys: < 1% of surveyed children had heights or weights outside the expected range. This analysis demonstrates the value of repeated surveys of nutritional status.