Peri‐urban malnutrition in bangladesh: Differential energy, protein, and growth status of children

Abstract

A sample of 292 children 12 to 59 months of age in two large squatter camps near Dhaka underwent nutritional assessment during July and August 1979. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, left mid‐upper arm circumference, and skinfolds at four sites (triceps, biceps, subscapular, and supra‐iliac). Derived upper arm indicators included muscle and fat areas as estimators of body composition. Findings were compared with previous anthropometric survey data from rural Bangladesh and with normative data from the United States. Twenty‐three percent of camp children were moderately to severely wasted (<80 % WH) and 34 % were severely stunted (<85 % HA). Wasted children of both sexes were of similar body composition though above 90 % WH girls were significantly fatter than boys. This relatively fatter body composition appeared greater than expected for normal sexual dimorphism, but it was not associated with any statural advantage for girls. For both sexes, stature was more strongly associated with musculature than with fatness, a finding which is consistent with numerous other studies in developing countries.