ABSTRACT
Background: Protein energy malnutrition is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children between the ages of 12 and 59 months and diarrhoea has been shown to have a bi-directional relationship with malnutrition. Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) has been shown to be a useful indicator of malnutrition in children aged 12 to 59 months. Objective: To determine the nutritional status of children aged 12 to 59 months with diarrhoea using mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). Method: Over a 6 month period, all children aged 12 to 59 months who presented to the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) with diarrhoea were consecutively recruited into the study. Information on their ages, diarrhoeal type, duration and frequency as well as parental educational level and occupation were obtained and recorded into a proforma. MUACs were measured and recorded to the nearest 0.1cm. Results: There were 144 children with a male to female ratio of 1.3:1. The mean MUAC was 14.25 ± 2.46cm with a steady increase with age from13.45 ± 1.99cm at 12 to 23 months to 16.50 ± 0.58cm at 48 to 59 months. Using MUAC measurements, 19 (13.2%) of the children were malnourished, with 7 (4.9%) having severe acute malnutrition and 12 (8.3%) having moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). Seventeen (11.8%) of the children were at risk of malnutrition. Children with chronic diarrhoea and ages ranging from 12 to 23 months had significantly lower MUACs with χ2 and p values of 19.58 (0.000) and 7.99 (0.005) respectively. Conclusion: Under nutrition is an important problem in children aged 12 to 59 months with diarrhoea. There is need to pay extra attention to nutritional status of this age group especially during episodes of diarrhoea.