Tehran University Medical Journal

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The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and related factors that may affect the nutritional status of 0 to 59 month old children in the rural areas covered by the Birjand district health network. A total of 626 children were selected by random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with the mothers and by measuring weight and height of te children. The nutritional status of the children determination was based on the z-score (cut-off poing under-2Sd from median reference population). Based on the z-score and under 2-standard deviation from median of NCHS in rural areas of Birjand, 18.5%, 40.1% and 3% of children were suffering from past-and-present, and present, malnutrition, respectively. Therefore the highest prevalence of malnutrition was related to the past-malnutrition and the stunting was the main problem. The chi2 test showed a statistically significant relationship between the children's past malnutrition and fathers litarcy (P<0.001), also between the children's past and present malnutrition and mother's literacy (P<0.021) and past malnutrition (P<0.001). There was also significant relationship between, father's main occupation, per-capita income (P<0.0001, P<0.025 respectively) and children's past malnutrition in the cases under study. In this research, relationship between sex and prevalence of malnutrition in both peresent-past and past malnutrition was meaningful, (P<0.024, P<0.017 respectively). This study did not show a significant relationship between nutritional independent variables and nutritional status of the children.

Keywords: Malnutrition, Birgand, Stunting

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