Nutritional status of preschool children in central Saudi Arabia

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Abstract
The nutritional status of 337 preschool children (aged 0-5) living in 2 rural Saudi villages was assessed by clinical examination and measuring weight-for-age, weight-for-height and height-for-age. Only 39.2% were found to have normal weight-for-age. The weight-for-height was normal in 76.3%, whereas 33.7% were considered as wasted (weight-for-height < 90% of standard). Wasting was commonest among the 12-23 mo. age group. Almost 60% had height-for-age < 95% of standard (stunted). The percentage of stunted children increased with age. Combining wasting and stunting, only 31% were labeled as normal and 0.9% had severe malnutrition and needed hospitalization; the rest needed some nutritional intervention. Ignorance and infection rather than poverty played the major role in the etiology of malnutrition in the villages studied.

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