Lindtjørn B, Alemu T, Bjorvatn B
Centre for International Health, University of Bergen, Norway.
Ann Trop Paediatr. 1993;13(1):21-32. doi: 10.1080/02724936.1993.11747621.
To assess dietary habits and nutritional state in drought-prone areas of southern Ethiopia, we studied 334 households in a pastoral and 282 in an agricultural community. Milk and cereals were the main sources of food among children of the pastoral Boran in Dubluk, while cereals with limited supplements of animal products or legumes formed the main sources of food among children of the agricultural population of Elka in the Rift valley. Of the children in Elka, 54.9% were stunted, as compared with 19.5% among children in Dubluk. Also, stunting occurred at an earlier age among the Elka children. Prevalences of wasting were less than 5% in both communities. Improvement in the state of nutrition of the pastoral children followed soon after the main rains, but occurred later and after the main harvest among the agricultural children. In contrast to arm circumference, the weight-for-height measure showed marked seasonal variation. Socio-economic factors, such as family wealth and crowding, significantly influenced the state of nutrition among the children. Nutritional recovery following the prolonged drought among the agricultural children was slow and associated with families acquiring more wealth.
为评估埃塞俄比亚南部易旱地区的饮食习惯和营养状况，我们对一个牧区的334户家庭和一个农业社区的282户家庭进行了研究。在杜布鲁克的牧区博拉恩儿童中，牛奶和谷物是主要食物来源，而在裂谷地区埃尔卡的农业人口儿童中，以谷物为主食，动物产品或豆类的补充有限。埃尔卡的儿童中，54.9%发育迟缓，而杜布鲁克的儿童中这一比例为19.5%。此外，埃尔卡儿童发育迟缓出现的年龄更早。两个社区的消瘦患病率均低于5%。牧区儿童的营养状况在主要降雨后不久就有所改善，但农业儿童的营养状况改善较晚，且在主要收获之后。与臂围不同，身高别体重指标显示出明显的季节性变化。家庭财富和拥挤程度等社会经济因素对儿童的营养状况有显著影响。农业儿童在长期干旱后的营养恢复缓慢，且与家庭财富增加有关。
