II.5.2.3 Height for age method
Prevalence of child malnutrition H/A is the percentage of a
children whose height for age is more than two standard deviations below the
median for the international reference population ages 0 to 59 months. For
children up to two years of age, height is measured by recumbent length. For
older children, height is measured by stature while standing (WHO, 1995). H/A
is an indicator of chronic malnutrition. A child exposed to inadequate
nutrition for a long period of time will have a reduced growth and therefore a
lower height compared to other children of the same age (stunting) (Refer Table
11).
II.5.2.4 Weight for age method
The W/A provides children's weight percentile based on age.
Underweight, or low W/A, is commonly used in growth monitoring program for
children. W/A is often used to tell if a child is normal, overweight or
underweight. When a child weighs less than expected for their age, they are
underweight, and when they weigh more than they should for their age, they are
overweight. Children who are taller would be expected to weigh more than other
children, just as children who are shorter would be expected to weigh a little
less and still be healthy (WHO, 1995). W/A is a composite indicator of both
long-term malnutrition (deficit in height/"stunting") and current malnutrition
(deficit in weight/ "wasting") (Refer Table 11).
ll.5.4. Prevalence of
malnutrition
Malnutrition and gastrointestinal infections are amongst the
most prevalent chronic conditions affecting human health globally. More than
70% of children with PEM live in Asia, 26% live in Africa, and 4% in Latin
America and the Caribbean (WHO, 1995).
In 2009, the WHO estimated that 27% of children in developing
countries under the age of 5 years were malnourished. Approximately 178
million children (32% of children in the developing world) suffer from chronic
malnutrition. Although the prevalence of childhood malnutrition is decreasing
in Asia, countries in South Asia still have both the highest rates of
malnutrition and the largest numbers of malnourished children. Indeed, the
prevalence of malnutrition in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
(38-51%) is much higher than in sub-Saharan Africa (26%). In Mexico, the most
recent national nutrition survey estimated that 1.8 million children under 5
years of age are malnourished (El. Ref.2).
The World Bank estimates that India is ranked 2nd
in the world of the number of children suffering from malnutrition, after
Bangladesh (in 1998), where 47% of the children exhibit a degree of
malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the
highest in the world, and is nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa with
direct consequences on morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth.
Every day, 1,000 Indian children die because of malnutrition alone.
Poor nutrition remains a global epidemic contributing to more
than half of all child deaths, about 5.6 million per year. Estimate of
incidence of clinical malnutrition suggests that between 5 and 8 million cases
occur annually. As an example, more than half (57%) of children in Burundi
have stunted growth as a result of poor diet and the proportion of underweight
children in South Africa has been increasing by 5 per cent a year (WHO, 1995).
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