Determinants of Undernutrition among Young Children Living in Soth Nikum District, Siem Reap, Cambodia

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 11; no. 3; p. 685
• Main Authors: Blaney, Sonia, Menasria, Lylia, Main, Barbara, Chhorvann, Chhea, Vong, Lenin, Chiasson, Lucie, Hun, Vannary, Raminashvili, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22-03-2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Anemia; Anthropometry; Cambodia; Children; Children & youth; determinant; Dietary intake; Dietary Proteins - analysis; Drinking Water - analysis; Energy Intake; Female; Food; Food quality; Food security; GNP; Gross National Product; Health care; Hemoglobin; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutrition Disorders - etiology; Infant Nutrition Disorders - physiopathology; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Intestinal parasites; Intestine; Iron; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - etiology; Malnutrition - physiopathology; NGOs; Nongovernmental organizations; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional Status; Parasites; Regression analysis; Sanitation; Undernutrition; young children; Zinc - analysis; Cambodia; Canada; Switzerland; India; young children; nutritional status; dietary intake; Cambodia; determinant
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu11030685

Child undernutrition is of public concern in Cambodia. An understanding of factors influencing child nutritional status is essential to design programs that will reduce undernutrition. Using the UNICEF conceptual framework of causes of malnutrition, our research investigates the relationship between nutritional status of children aged 6⁻23 months and its immediate and underlying determinants.
Baseline data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial aiming to assess the impact of the promotion of optimal feeding practices combined or not with the provision of local foods among 360 children 6⁻23 months of age were used. Anthropometry and biochemical measurements were performed at baseline. Data on each determinant of undernutrition were collected through interviews and direct observations.
Our results show that the degree of satisfaction of proteins and zinc requirements as well as the access to improved water sources and sanitation were positively associated with length-for-age, while having a better health status and a higher degree of satisfaction of energy, protein, zinc, and iron requirements were associated to an improved weight-for-length. Only child health status was associated to ferritin.
Our results reiterate the importance of improving child diet and health status, but also the access to a healthy environment to ensure an optimal nutritional status.