Jayatissa Renuka, Bekele Aberra, Piyasena C L, Mahamithawa S
Department of Nutrition, Medical Research Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Food Nutr Bull. 2006 Jun;27(2):144-52. doi: 10.1177/156482650602700205.
A strong earthquake that hit Aceh on December 26, 2004, triggered a powerful tsunami, resulting in an unprecedented catastrophe in Sri Lanka. The initial phase of the disaster was marked by limited access to food coupled with an inadequate supply of safe water and poor environmental hygiene and sanitation, all of which placed children at increased risk for undernutrition.
To assess the nutritional status of children under five years of age, pregnant women, and lactating women residing in 40 relief camps after the tsunami.
A cross-sectional, 30-cluster study was performed. Thirty children under five from each cluster (camp) and all pregnant and lactating women in selected camps were studied. Data were collected by interviews with the primary caregivers of the children, interviews with key informants in the camps, direct observation, and focus group discussions with mothers. Weight, height, or length was measured on children and pregnant women. Mid-upper-arm circumference of lactating women was measured.
A total of 878 children were assessed, of whom 16.1%, 20.2%, and 34.7% were wasted, stunted, and underweight, respectively. The prevalence of each indicator was higher in boys than in girls. During the 2 weeks before the survey, 69.5% of the children had acute respiratory tract infections and 17.9% had diarrhea. Although the general food distribution was well in place, the food supply lacked diversity, and 70.9% of the children did not get appropriate supplementary food. The prevalence of undernutrition among pregnant women (n = 168) was 37%. Thirty-one percent of lactating women (n = 97) were underweight, and 20% were overweight.
The prevalence of both acute and chronic undernutrition among children in the camps is significantly higher than the national Sri Lankan average. There is a need to establish nutritional surveillance systems to monitor the nutritional status of displaced and nondisplaced children and mothers.
2004年12月26日，一场强烈地震袭击了亚齐，引发了一场强大的海啸，给斯里兰卡带来了前所未有的灾难。灾难初期的特点是食物获取有限，安全饮用水供应不足，环境卫生和个人卫生条件差，所有这些都使儿童面临营养不良风险增加的问题。
评估海啸过后居住在40个救济营地中的5岁以下儿童、孕妇和哺乳期妇女的营养状况。
进行了一项横断面的30群组研究。对每个群组（营地）中的30名5岁以下儿童以及选定营地中的所有孕妇和哺乳期妇女进行了研究。通过与儿童的主要照料者访谈、与营地中的关键信息提供者访谈、直接观察以及与母亲们进行焦点小组讨论来收集数据。对儿童和孕妇测量了体重、身高或身长。测量了哺乳期妇女的上臂中部周长。
共评估了878名儿童，其中分别有16.1%、20.2%和34.7%的儿童消瘦、发育迟缓及体重不足。各指标的患病率男孩高于女孩。在调查前的2周内，69.5%的儿童患有急性呼吸道感染，17.9%的儿童患有腹泻。尽管总体食物分发情况良好，但食物供应缺乏多样性，70.9%的儿童未获得适当的补充食物。孕妇（n = 168）中营养不良的患病率为37%。哺乳期妇女（n = 97）中有31%体重不足，20%超重。
营地中儿童急性和慢性营养不良的患病率显著高于斯里兰卡全国平均水平。有必要建立营养监测系统，以监测流离失所和未流离失所儿童及母亲的营养状况。
