بررسي وضعيت تغذيه كودكان 1 تا 24 ماهه شهر بيرجند بر اساس معيارهاي تن سنجي سال 1381

Nutritional Status of I to 24 - month - old Children in Birjand , Iran

Malnutrition is one of the important problems of the Third-world countries including Iran. Unicef reports a total of 40,000 daily deaths due to malnutrition. The present study is conducted to study the nutritional status of children under two years of age in Birjand , Iran. The study was cross- sectionally conducted on 1545 subjects referring to Health-treatment centers in Birjand; Growth indexes including age , sex , parental education and occupation and number of siblings were recorded through a checklist. Prevalence of malnutrition was measured by Gomes and Water low standards. According to the findings obtained from Gomes (Weight - for - age) , water low (weight- for-height) and Water low (height - for - age) , 41% 23 I% , and 28.9% of the subjects suffered from malnutrition respectively and malnutrition increased in proportion with the increase in age (P<0.001). According to weight -- for -- age and height - for-- age criteria , malnutrition is of higher prevalence in male subjects. However , it showed no significant relationship with parental occupation and education and socioeconomic status. Nutritional status of children in Birjand is better than those in sistan province while it is of no remarkable difference with the status of children in Kerman. Parental training about the nutritional requirements of their children is recommended to enhance the health and economic status of families.