Social and economic factors in malnourished children around Lusaka, Zambia.

Three hundred and sixty malnourished children were admitted to one of the units of the Children's Hospital, UTH, Lusaka, in 1975. They were studied in an effort to determine the effects of various social, economic and feeding habits in the evolution of PCM. Malnutrition was found in 9.1% of the total admissions and was associated with a high immediate mortality (26.6%). The majority of children were in the 7 months to 24 months age-group. The majority of families were unitary and small, with a high level of illiteracy and from the slums of Lusaka. Breast feeding was a general rule in spite of the urban status of most families. The study showed that the major factors which contributed to malnutrition were poverty and faulty weaning foods. Results were compared with other studies in Africa and India. Incidence of malnutrition can be reduced by increasing the economic level of the community and improving basic health services.