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Food insecurity and malnutrition in Chinese elementary school students.
- Source :
- British Journal of Nutrition; 9/28/2015, Vol. 114 Issue 6, p952-958, 7p
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- It has been shown that food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality and unfavourable health outcomes. However, little is known about the potential effects of food insecurity on the overall malnutrition status among children. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of food insecurity among 1583 elementary school students, aged 6–14 years, living in Chinese rural areas and examined its association with four malnutrition signs, including rickets sequelae, anaemia, stunting and wasting. Information on food security was collected via questionnaires. Rickets sequelae were assessed by an experienced paediatrician during the interview. Anaemia was determined by the WHO Hb thresholds adjusted by the local altitude. Weight and height were measured during the interview. Stunting and wasting were then evaluated according to WHO child growth standards (2007). We examined the association between food insecurity and the number of malnutrition signs (total number=4), and the likelihood of having severe malnutrition (presence of 3+ signs), after adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, social-economic status and dietary intakes. During the previous 12 months, the overall prevalence of food insecurity was 6·1 % in the entire studied population and 16·3 % in participants with severe malnutrition. Participants with food insecurity had a slightly higher number of malnutrition signs (1·14 v. 0·96; P=0·043) relative to those who were food secure, after adjusting for potential confounders. Food insecurity was also associated with increased likelihood of having severe malnutrition (adjusted OR 3·08; 95 % CI 1·47, 6·46; P=0·003). In conclusion, food insecurity is significantly associated with malnutrition among Chinese children in this community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Subjects :
- MALNUTRITION risk factors
MALNUTRITION
BODY weight
CONFIDENCE intervals
HEMOGLOBINS
INTERVIEWING
LONGITUDINAL method
MALNUTRITION in children
PROBABILITY theory
QUESTIONNAIRES
RESEARCH funding
RURAL conditions
STATISTICAL sampling
LOGISTIC regression analysis
CROSS-sectional method
FOOD security
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
ODDS ratio
SYMPTOMS
ADOLESCENCE
CHILDREN
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00071145
- Volume :
- 114
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- British Journal of Nutrition
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 109243432
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114515002676