Family-Centered Care - A Tool to Decrease Malnutrition among Children in Vietnam

Abstract

five years are underweighted, 24.6% of them suffered from "stunting" (reduced median length to age), and 6.4% had "wasting" (reduced median weight to the length). Though nurses has an important role to prevent malnutrition and/or alleviate suffering, current study aims to broaden knowledge regarding malnutrition among children by adding forthcoming nurses (nursing student's) perspective. BackgroundMalnutrition is a worldwide problem [1] due to underweighted (lack of food, beverages) as well as over weighted (cheap food, beverages with fat, salt, sugar). United Nations Millennium Development Goal 1 declare to fight poverty in which hunger and malnutrition are included [2]. Malnutrition among children is described in relation to weight and length. "Wasting" are described as a child's median weight deviates to length with two standard deviations, stunting are median length deviates with two standard deviations in relation to age [3,4]. Huong, et al. [5] described that 13.9% of all Vietnam children in hospital suffered from "stunting" and 19.0% of "wasting". Moreover, Truong Quang Dat, et al. [6] show downward trend regarding prevalence of malnutrition from 17.5% in 2010 to 14.1% in 2015 with expectancy to decline even more. The stunting malnutrition prevalence has also declined from 29.3% to 24.2% (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015). While underweight has dropped rapidly (> 60%) compared to 1990, the obesity prevalence in children (< age 5) is growing rapidly [6].