Double burden of malnutrition in ethnic minority school-aged children living in mountainous areas of Vietnam and its association with nutritional behavior

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Although children of ethnic minority groups are experiencing a transition from a predominance of undernutrition to overnutrition, there is little evidence of a dual-malnutrition burden. Therefore, this study examined the double burden of malnutrition among school-aged ethnic minority children living in mountainous areas and its association with their diets. SUBJECTS/METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2019 to March 2020 in 3 mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam among 1,556 ethnic minority school-aged children. The prevalence of under-nutrition (stunting and thinness) and over-nutrition (overweight and obesity) were measured using the WHO 2006 child growth standards (height-for-age and BMI-for-age Z-score). Nutritional practices were evaluated by the frequency of food consumption based on a 4-level scale. RESULTS The percentage of children with stunting and thinness were 14.0% and 5.4%, respectively, while the figure for overweight/obesity was 9.4%. The factors positively associated with stunting were living in a family with more than 2 children or being Muong/other ethnicities compared to the Tay ethnicity. Children who consumed fish/shrimps/crabs or milk weekly/daily were less likely to be undernourished compared to those who never consumed these foods. By contrast, children who never consumed foods rich in vitamin A precursors and vitamin A and fruit or consumed daily snacks/junk food were more likely to be overweight/obese. CONCLUSIONS Undernutrition remains a common issue among school-aged children and adolescents of ethnic minority groups, while over-nutrition exists simultaneously. Public health nutrition programs promoting adequate diets and positive lifestyle changes related to nutrition are essential to tackle the double burden of malnutrition among ethnic minority children.

Đặc điểm về tăng trưởng và dậy thì của trẻ em tuổi học đường ở một huyện miền núi thuộc tỉnh Sơn La

“…Nghiên cứu của Trương Thị Thùy Dương và cộng sự trên 1556 trẻ DTTS người Tày, Mường năm 2020 ghi nhận tỉ lệ suy dinh dưỡng thấp còi là 14% [5].…”

Related factors of the nutritional status of malnutrition in Cham ethnic children aged 6-24 months

“…These children face barriers to receiving enough nutrition, access to healthcare, and availability of healthcare services. 4 Surveys show that the incidence of diarrhea in Cham children in Tan Chau Town during the annual flood season is relatively high, and the ability of families classified as poor or near-poor to access healthcare services is limited, which affects the nutritional status of children to some extent. [5][6][7] There is a crucial window of time for children's physical and behavioural development between the ages of 6 and 24 months.…”

Study the malnutrition status of children aged 6-24 months of the Cham ethnic group in Tan Chau town, An Giang province in 2018

“…2,3 The actual survey has shown that the work of preventing malnutrition is only well implemented in urban areas, while in remote, faraway, and ethnic minority areas, the rate of malnutrition in children is still high, among which children of minority ethnic groups suffer many disadvantages in nutrition care as well as health care and access to health care services. 4 The survey results show that the rate of children suffering from diarrhoea during the annual flood season is relatively high, while the access to healthcare services for families in the poor and near-poor categories is still limited, which somewhat affects the nutritional status of children. [5][6][7] The period from 6 to 24 months of age is a critical window for children to develop physically and behaviourally.…”