Malnutrition among pre-school children in Alexandria, Egypt.

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted in Alexandria, Egypt, to assess the current status of malnutrition among 1,217 pre-school children aged 6-71 months. A two-stage cluster-sampling technique was used for selecting the sample. Data on sociodemographic and environmental characteristics of the family, morbidity profiles, and breast-feeding patterns were collected from mothers of the children. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and the prevalence of malnutrition was assessed using three indicators, such as stunting, under-weight, and wasting, following the WHO guidelines and cut-off points. Simple and multiple regression analyses were done for examining the factors associated with the occurrence of malnutrition using principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. Stunting, under-weight, and wasting were observed in 15%, 7.3%, and 3.6% of the children respectively. High-socioeconomic condition was associated with low prevalence of stunting and underweight (OR = 0.67, confidence interval (CI) = 0.55-0.8 and OR = 0.75, CI = 0.58-0.96 respectively). Good environmental condition was associated with a lower stunting rate (OR = 0.83, CI = 0.72-0.96). Increased age of child and living in a non-squatter area were associated with wasting (OR = 1.02, CI = 1.001-1.03 and OR = 0.38, CI = 0.15-0.97 respectively). Interventions to improve socioeconomic and environmental situations are recommended to reduce the already low level of protein-energy malnutrition further.