Prevalence of protein energy malnutrition at dekernis in dakahlia governorate

ABSTRACT

The present work was a cross-sectional study of children under five years of age. All children were subjected to anthropometric measures [weight, length, height, mid arm and head circumference] to separate those who are wasted, stunted or wasted and stunted from normal children, according to Waterlow classification, using NCHS percentile. The total number of children was 2450, the total cases of malnutrition were 100, wasted 48, stunted 27 as well as wasted and stunted 25. The predominant complaints were diarrhea, cough and failure to gain weight. Family size was more than five persons in 47%, the child was the first born in 22% of the cases, mother age was less than 20 years in 11% and she was illiterate in 69% of cases. Vaccination was incomplete in 14% of the cases and formula feeding was given to 55%, 63.6% out of them received diluted formula