Nutritional status of the Iraqi children before the Gulf war

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of children in Baghdad, Data for weight, stature and weight / stature from 1480 children between the age of 0 - 72 months were determined between November 1989 and April 1990. Data were determined from eight nursery schools, two obstetric units and one health centre [children attending for vaccination]. All data determined from Baghdad and designed to represent the different socioeconomic classes of the city. The study revealed that stunting or chronic malnutrition were very low in Baghdad [below 20%] and wasting of acute malnutrition was also below 3%, similarly the rate of under weight was low [below 15%]. Thus there was a low prevalence of protein energy malnutrition problem in Baghdad