Arif Hala Sameh
College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq.
Qatar Med J. 2017 Aug 16;2017(2):5. doi: 10.5339/qmj.2017.5. eCollection 2017.
Nutritional disorders still represent a major problem faced by developing countries. Surveying such problems is a step towards planning proper interventions, which contributes significantly to declines in under-five mortality rates. To study the state of nutritional trends in children under five years of age, attending a primary healthcare center in Al Shoula district, Iraq, in 2006 and 2012. Demographic features and feeding practices that may have had an effect on the nutritional status of children were also studied. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted on children aged two to five years, in a primary healthcare center in Baghdad. Children attending for immunization were included (500 in 2006 and 570 in 2012), their mothers were interviewed, and the body mass index of the child was calculated. Children who were overweight and obese were identified, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention charts, as those suffering from stunting. Nutritional parameters were compared between the two study groups, using the chi-square test, as well as various epidemiological factors that may have affected the outcomes. The prevalence of both types of nutritional disorders (stunting and overweight and obesity) declined remarkably according to the 2012 survey; overweight and obesity declined from 20% to 7.2%, while stunting decreased from 51.2% to 30.9%. The age group showing the highest rate of improvement were the four to five year olds, as well as children from lower-income families. A higher rate of breastfeeding was reported in 2012, and breastfed babies suffered the least from both types of nutritional disorders, in both study groups. Overall, the study findings showed a high prevalence of stunting (30.9%), together with a significant level of overweight and obesity (7.2%). Children in Iraq suffer from high rates of stunting. With a moderately high rate of obesity, there is an urgent need to evaluate local data available and plan for an active intervention to combat these nutritional problems.
营养失调仍是发展中国家面临的一个主要问题。对这类问题进行调查是规划适当干预措施的第一步，这对降低五岁以下儿童死亡率有显著贡献。为研究2006年和2012年在伊拉克舒拉区一家初级保健中心就诊的五岁以下儿童的营养趋势状况，还研究了可能对儿童营养状况产生影响的人口统计学特征和喂养方式。在巴格达的一家初级保健中心对两岁至五岁的儿童进行了两次横断面调查。纳入前来接种疫苗的儿童（2006年500名，2012年570名），对其母亲进行访谈，并计算儿童的体重指数。根据疾病控制与预防中心的图表，将超重和肥胖儿童确定为发育迟缓儿童。使用卡方检验比较两个研究组之间的营养参数，以及可能影响结果的各种流行病学因素。根据2012年的调查，两种营养失调（发育迟缓和超重及肥胖）的患病率均显著下降；超重和肥胖从20%降至7.2%，而发育迟缓从51.2%降至30.9%。改善率最高的年龄组是四岁至五岁的儿童以及低收入家庭的儿童。2012年报告的母乳喂养率较高，在两个研究组中，母乳喂养的婴儿患两种营养失调的情况最少。总体而言，研究结果显示发育迟缓的患病率很高（30.9%），同时超重和肥胖的程度也很显著（7.2%）。伊拉克儿童发育迟缓率很高。肥胖率处于中等偏高水平，迫切需要评估现有的当地数据并规划积极的干预措施来应对这些营养问题。
