RESUMO
PIP: A national nutrition survey was conducted in Egypt during January-April 1978 in an effort to quantify the protein energy and anemia status of young children from rural and urban areas. Data from 9794 preschool children (8016 in the total representative sample and 1778 in metropolitan Cairo-Giza and Alexandria) were analyzed. Questionnaires on 106 additional children were excluded because of obvious errors in age or anthropometric data. The overall prevalence of wasting was low in all the areas studied. Stunting was identified in 20.8% of the representative sample children. The highest prevalences of stunting occurred in rural villages, small and large, particularly in Upper Egypt (27.0%). Linear growth improved, among the children studied, with increasing urbanization. In cities with a population greater than 50,000 (excluding Cairo and Alexandria), the prevalence of stunting was only 10.6%. The prevalence of stunting was 15.7% and 18.8% in the disadvantaged areas of Alexandria and Cairo-Giza, respectively, and only 1.1% in the special comparison group of 1883 socioeconomically advantaged children. Concurrent wasting and stunting was noted in 0.3% of the representative sample. Children in the 2 age groups between 6-23 months had the highest prevalence of acute undernutrition, and children aged 36-47 months had the highest prevalence of overnutrition. The prevalence of chronic undernutrition was highest in the 3 age groups between 12-47 months and declined approximately 16% in the 2 age groups between 48-71 months. The prevalence of severe malnutrition declined with urbanization from a high of 12.9% in small villages in Upper Egypt to 3.8% in the small cities. Among children in the disadvantaged areas of Alexandria and Cairo-Giza, the prevalences were 4.8% and 9.1%, respectively. For the representative sample, anemia was highest in the 3 age groups between 12-47 months. Of the 9794 children surveyed, 17 had edema in both feet. More than 1 clinical sign of vitamin D deficiency was found in 1.4% of children. Bitot's spots were found in only 4 children and corneal scars in 16.^ieng
