Nutrition of Iban Children of the Sut and Mujong Rivers

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Abstract
The nutritional status of 502 Iban children under 9 years old was investigated, with data from 107 mothers on food customs and survival. Rice production adequacy was assessed, with special reference to the 1949–51 study, chiefly of the Sut River community. Serious and widespread malnutrition was found. By weight for age 9.6% of all children were severely undernourished and 76.5% moderately: from 6 years old every child fell within either category. 63.1% of the total were stunted, being below 90% expected height. Arm circumference and skin-fold thickness gave congruent values. In contrast, weights and lengths of young infants under 6 months old were acceptable by the same WHO standards. This demonstrates that growth failure is due to inadequate nutrition rather than inherited constitution. Almost 30% were anaemic, with 58% of 1-yearolds. Just under 60% had one or more types of intestinal worms. Vitamin A deficiency affected 30.5% and B group deficiencies over 13% under 7 years old. 15.6% of 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds had endemic goitre, and about a third of mothers. All took iodized salt, but often sporadically. Though breast feeding was usual for some two years, infant and child diets were otherwise poor, with very late introduction of most items. Mothers' diets were often restricted too, as was the composition of 321 family meals. Of 588 infants born alive 117.4 per thousand had died, and of survivors 19.3 per thousand toddlers. Due probably to easier medical treatment access, these levels were much less than at Lemanak or Ulu Mukah. Rice self-sufficiency of 338 Mujong families from 1976 and 1977 harvests averaged 5.8 months, and of 113 Sut families only 3.7 months. Taking the best of the latter longhouses, production was in the region of half that reported by Freeman. Present gross inadequacy is highly significant since it has declined to this dismal condition in only four generations of Iban settlement and shifting cultivation of almost virgin territory. Very extensive malnutrition has also been found lately among Melanau, Malay and Land Dayak children of farmers and coastal fishermen. The cause is general scarcity of food rather than specific deficiencies. It is vital to raise food production as the highest priority, and at the same time employ large-scale family planning to space out births. Nothing short of a comprehensive State Food and Nutrition Policy enacted with the maximum deployment of resources can hope to meet the exigency of the circumstances.

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