Rapid nutritional assessment of under five year old Kurdish refugee children in Iran

ABSTRACT

In an attempt to depict the nutritional status of Kurdish refugee children under five years of age, a rapid survey was conducted on 900 children in 9 camps of Kurdistan and Bakhtaran province in May 1991. The study included anthropometric measurements on all, clinical examination of 731, and biochemical tests for anemia and protein energy malnutrition [PEM] on 160 subjects. The results showed half of the children to be anemic. Twenty% of the children had moderate to severe PEM by the most conservative criteria. This figure was around 40% in the 2 to 3 year old children. It was concluded that 50% of the children required urgent nutritional intervention and the other half were potentially in danger. Although malnutrition was serious enough in the subjects, the sanitary condition of the camps was even worse. Any measure to rectify the situation in similar cases should include both public health and nutritional solutions