Anthropometric status in Palestinian children living in refugee camps in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship between anthropometric measurements and living conditions in infants and children living in refugee camps.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Four Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

SUBJECTS

Thirty-three infants younger than two years of age and 234 children (106 males) younger than 15 years of age.

METHODS

Weight and height were measured. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight (kg)/length squared (m2). A parent of the subject answered a questionnaire on employment status, household size, food, and financial assistance as well as child's food consumption.

RESULTS

Anthropometric measurements were standardized to the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) growth data as age- and sex-specific Z scores. No significant difference was seen between males and females. For all sites studied, the Z scores for weight (WAZ) and height (HAZ) of infants were not significantly different from zero. Among older children, WAZ, HAZ, and Z scores for BMI (BMIZ) were significantly less than zero. In infants, exclusive breast feeding, in addition to receiving financial help, correlated positively while meat and fruit consumption of less than three times per week correlated negatively with WAZ and HAZ. In older children, a mixed relationship was seen among the number of children younger than 10 years of age in a household, the child's meat, vegetable, and fruit consumption less than three times per week, and WAZ and HAZ.

CONCLUSION

Living conditions and socioeconomic restrictions on Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon do not appear to influence growth of infants younger than two years of age but may contribute to the growth deficit in older children.