title: Nutritional status of refugee children entering DeKalb County, Georgia.
abstract: This study determines the nutritional status among refugee children entering one of the largest resettlement counties in the United States and identifies differences between incoming populations. Medical records of all newly arriving pediatric refugees (0-18 years) entering DeKalb County, Georgia between October 2010 and July 2011 were reviewed. Refugee children were grouped as African, Bhutanese, or Burmese (resettling from either Thailand or Malaysia) for comparative analysis. Approximately one in five refugees were anemic or malnourished, while a quarter had stool parasites, and nearly half had dental caries. African refugees had the highest anemia but the lowest underweight prevalence (p < 0.05). Compared to Burmese resettling from Malaysia, Burmese children from Thailand had a higher prevalence of anemia, underweight, and stool parasites (p < 0.05). Clinicians should use CDC medical screening guidelines for newly arriving pediatric refugees, as well as ensure proper nutritional support and follow-up care.
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, W3.5-600, 111 Michigan Avenue N.W., Washington, DC, 20010, USA, anshah@cnmc.org.
authors.forename: Ankoor Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Parminder S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Suchdev
authors.forename: Tarissa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Sharmila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: Alawode
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oladele
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reines
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001631:Bhutan / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D002052:Myanmar / Q000208:ethnology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*