Determinants of anthropometric measurements in a prosperous village in Northeast Thailand with a high prevalence of "wasted" children

Abstract

In a prosperous village, profiting from its vicinity to an urban centre and from the introduction of an irrigation scheme, 21% of preschool children were wasted and 17% were stunted. Possible factors, including indicators of health status such as evidence of illness prior to the interview, the mother's knowledge of nutrition and how she translates that knowledge into practice, patterns of child rearing and feeding habits, the economic status and household budget of the families were tested against various anthropometric parameters. The majority of parameters were correlated with weight for height SD score but not for height for age SD score. Acute infection and delayed supplementary feeding were found to be common factors that correlated with most of the anthropometric parameters. The results suggest that the factors responsible for wasting are not those responsible for stunting and that an improvement in economic status alone does not eliminate the problem of malnutrition. Emphasis on child care and proper health education, especially proper feeding and the importance of early supplementary feeding are needed, especially in those areas where the process of modernization and the development in economic status are underway and people's incentives are directed towards improving their economic and material standard of living. © 1984 Pergamon Press Ltd.