[The nutrition status of children aged 6-23 months after three months of Wenchuan Earthquake in Beichuan and Lixian, Sichuan Province].
OBJECTIVE
This project aims to investigate the nutrition status of children aged from 6 to 23 months living in Beichuan and Lixian where were seriously affected by the earthquake in 2008.


METHODS
The height, body weight and hemoglobin concentration were measured for 478 children from Leigu township, Qushan township in Beichuan county and Zagunao township, Xuecheng township and Putou township in Lixian county; the number of group 6 - 11, 12 - 17, 18 - 23 months were 190, 144, 144 respectively. The height for age (HAZ), the body weight for age (WAZ) and the weight for height (WHZ) were calculated respectively. The low weight, stunting, wasting prevalence, anemic rate were analyzed.


RESULTS
The WAZ scores of 6 - 23 months males and females in Beichuan county and Lixian county ranged from -0.97 to -0.13 and from -0.67 to -0.23, HAZ scores ranged from -1.23 to -0.31 and from -1.25 to -0.38, respectively. The WAZ (-0.89 ± 1.16) and HAZ (-1.20 ± 1.60) of 18 - 23 months infants in Beichuan county were significantly different from the WAZ and HAZ of 6 - 11 months (WAZ: -0.32 ± 0.92; HAZ: -0.58 ± 0.98) and 12 - 17 months (WAZ: -0.47 ± 1.00; HAZ: -0.68 ± 1.34) infants (F values were 7.161 and 4.584, respectively; all P values < 0.05). The WAZ (-0.63 ± 1.03) and HAZ (-1.11 ± 1.15) of 18 - 23 months in Lixian county infants were significantly different from the WAZ and HAZ of 6 - 11 months (WAZ: -0.23 ± 0.93; HAZ: -0.51 ± 1.55) infants and 12 - 17 months (WAZ: -0.58 ± 0.52; HAZ: -0.80 ± 1.19) (F values were 3.156, 4.345, all P values < 0.05). The prevalence of low weight infants (18 - 23 months) these two counties were 15.6% (12/77) and 9.1% (6/66), respectively. The prevalence of stunting in Beichuan and Lixian have reached 26% (20/77) and 24.2% (16/66), respectively. The wasting rate of 18 - 23 months infants had reached 9.1% (7/77) in Beichuan. The total anemia prevalence among infants reached 49.6% (123/248) and 78.8% (178/226) in Beichuan and Lixian, respectively. The prevalence of moderate anemia have reached 7.7% (19/248) and 19.9% (45/226), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
After the earthquake in Beichuan, Lixian, the growth of infants aged 6 to 23 months old was below average. The prevalence of anemia was high. The malnutrition status of infant and young children aged from 18 to 23 months in Beichuan and Lixian was more serious, should be targeted of nutrition interventions.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Li-juan
LJ
Wang
Jun-sheng
JS
Huo
Jing
J
Sun
Wen-xian
WX
Li
Cheng-yu
CY
Huang
Shao-lin
SL
Lai
Ji-fang
JF
Hu
Chun-ming
CM
Chen
Yu-ying
YY
Wang
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status