Author/Authors :
Teblick Arno نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , De Deken Sofie نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Vanderbruggen Wies نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Vermeersch Marie نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Teblick Sofie نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Ruymaekers Maarten نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Andries Jasmine نويسنده Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium , Colebunders Robert نويسنده Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp,
Belgium , Mmbando Bruno P نويسنده National Institute for Medical Research, Tanga Research
Centre, Tanga, Tanzania
Abstract :
Background Although undernutrition in children is widely
recognized as a major health problem in Tanzania, region-specific
prevalence data remain scarce. The objective of the present study was to
determine the prevalence of stunting and thinness among
primary-school-aged children in a village in the Arusha region in
Tanzania, with the aim of developing a targeted nutritional support
program. Methods In the present school-based cross-sectional study,
anthropometric measurements were obtained for all children (n = 1,379)
who attended Baraa primary school in the Baraa village located at the
transition between a rural and urban area in the Arusha region. The data
were compared with the world health organization (WHO) 2007 growth
reference data for individuals between the ages of 5 to 19. Continuous
variables were compared using the t-test, while categorical variables
were compared using Pearson’s chi-square test. Spearman’s correlation
and χ2 for trend were used to compare the trend
of continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results Basic
anthropometric values of the study participants were significantly lower
than those of the reference population. The mean values of z-scores
significantly differed from zero. No gender differences in the
prevalence of stunting and thinness were found. Three hundred and
twenty-six children (23.7%) suffered from at least one form of
undernutrition: 225 (16.3%) were stunted while 156 (11.3%) were thin.
The prevalence of both stunting and thinness was at its lowest in the
youngest children (5 - 9 years) and highest in the oldest children (14 -
19 years). Furthermore, 54 (16.5%) of the undernourished children
suffered from multiple forms of undernutrition. Conclusions
Undernutrition remains prevalent among primary-school-aged children in
the Arusha region, Tanzania. Moreover, a high proportion of children
suffer from a combination of different forms of undernutrition, with an
increase in the prevalence of undernutrition with age.
