Journal of Food and Nutritional DisordersISSN: 2324-9323

All submissions of the EM system will be redirected to Online Manuscript Submission System. Authors are requested to submit articles directly to Online Manuscript Submission System of respective journal.

Research Article, J Food Nutr Disor Vol: 9 Issue: 4

An Area at War: Alarming Malnutrition Status and its Predictors among Children Aged 6-60 Months Old in Kokang, Myanmar

Ai Zhao1, Qiyan Xiao1, HongChong Gao2, Shuangjie Cao3, Mingyu Zhang4, Naing Naing Win5 and YuMei Zhang6*1School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, PR China2School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China3Peking University First Hospital, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, PR China4School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, PR China5Health Poverty Action Eastern Asia Program Office, Kokang, Myanmar6Department of Nutrition & Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, PR ChinaCorresponding author : Yu Mei Zhang
Department of Nutrition & Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, ï»¿Xueyuan Road NO.38#, Beijing, PR China 
Fax: +86-010-82801743
E-mail: zhangyumei111@gmail.com

Citation: Zhao A, Xiao Q, Gao HC, Cao S, Zhang M, et al. (2020) An Area at War: Alarming Malnutrition Status and its Predictors among Children Aged 6-60 Months Old in Kokang, Myanmar. J Food Nutr Disor 9:4.

 

Abstract

An Area at War: Alarming Malnutrition Status and its Predictors among Children Aged 6-60 Months Old in Kokang, Myanmar

Aim: Myanmar is a populous and impoverished country with military conflicts for over 40 years and Kokang is one of the most turbulent regions. Malnutrition is a major health problem in this area, however researches are limited. This study aims to evaluate the malnutrition condition of children in Kokang, Myanmar and the factors associated with malnutrition. Methods: Data were obtained from 123 children aged from 6 to 60 months. Anthropometrical assessment was performed and validated questionnaires were used to collect socioeconomic and demographic data. Results: Among the children enrolled in this study, 42.5% were found to be stunting, 22.5% were underweight, 8.3% were wasting, 8.3% were thin, 5.9% had a small head circumference, and 3.3% were wasting with amid-upper arm circumference <12.5 cm. Drinking spring or river water (OR=7.11, 95% CI2.46–20.52) was a predictor of stunting and low family annual income contributed to underweight (OR=8.95, 95% CI 1.63–49.11) in the regression model. Predictors of wasting included age and length of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: This study illustrates the alarming local prevalence of childhood malnutrition and the associated predictors, which require a multipronged approach to find a solution.

Keywords: Malnutrition; Child; Myanmar

international publisher, scitechnol, subscription journals, subscription, international, publisher, science

Track Your Manuscript

Awards Nomination

open access