Nutritional status and poverty assessment of vulnerable population groups in Armenia.

OBJECTIVES

To produce estimates of main nutrition deficiencies to identify public health intervention priorities; to investigate the importance of urban-rural and resident-refugee differences; to validate the vulnerability indicators used for targeting humanitarian aid.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study with cluster design on a nationally representative sample of 2627 households (3390 children under five and 2649 mothers).

RESULTS

Underweight was observed in 4% of the mothers, while more than one third of them showed different levels of overweight. Prevalence of anaemia in mothers was 15% with significant highest prevalence in rural areas. Stunting was detected in 12% of children with highest prevalence in rural zones. The overall prevalence of wasting was 4%. The prevalence of anaemia in children under five was 16% with highest prevalence in rural areas (22%). A vulnerability questionnaire was tested: it was only partially able to identify best potential beneficiaries of humanitarian aid.

CONCLUSIONS

Armenian children and women were not affected by major energy problems, but followed inadequate diets that led them to a low micronutrient status. Drought in 2000s compromised the possibility of improving the general nutritional status.