ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF DISPLACED CHILDREN IN KHARTOUM STATE

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of displaced children in Khartoum state under five years (6 – 59 months), and to provide specific data on their nutritional status. A total of 319 households with at least one child aged between (6 -59 months) were randomly stratified and selected. A questionnaire was structured for household–heads, while anthropometric measurements were taken for children from the selected households, statistical package was used for data entry and analysis. Indices of nutritional status that is weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight for-height were computed using the EPI – Info programme. In addition to assessment of mid-upper are circumference and presence of oedema depending on cut-off points recommended by World Health Organization National Center for Health Statistics, 1995. The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight was very high among displaced children (61.8%, 63.6% and 77.7% respectively). Protein-energy-malnutrition was also found with high percentage (about 50%). It is therefore, concluded that malnutrition was a serious problem among children under five years in displaced camps in Khartoum State due to many complicated factors such as socio-economic factors like low educational level, high illiteracy rates, poverty and large family size ,in addition to dietary factors like insufficient food intake and low quality foods. Moreover, absence of environmental sanitation and clean water and spread endemic diseases like malaria and infections diseases like diarrhea and respiratory tract infections, led to deterioration in nutritional status of children. Basic environmental health needs of food, shelter and hygiene still predominated among this displaced people. Accordingly, various governmental and nongovernmental sectors need to put more efforts to modify socio-economic status and change environmental conditions of displaced households in order to raise health and nutritional status of children under five years.