title: Social determinants of malnutrition among Serbian children aged <5 years: ethnic and regional disparities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between growth indicators of Serbian children aged <5 years of Roma and non-Roma populations and social determinants of health.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a cross-sectional secondary data analysis design to measure national and Roma population samples from the MICS 4 (UNICEF) performed in 2010 in Serbia. A total of 4,978 questionnaires were observed with children aged <5 years. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify association between social determinants of health and growth indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Roma children were more than three times more likely to exhibit stunted and/or severely stunted than non-Roma children from the lowest wealth quintile. Non-Roma children residing outside of the Belgrade region had a lower risk of stunted compared to children residing within the Belgrade region, while the risk of stunted among Roma children was nearly twofold greater than those residing in southern and eastern Serbia than in the Belgrade region.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings clarified the necessity to establish ethnically and regionally sensitive programs to solve the malnutrition problems.
authors: Sector for Contracting Healthcare Services and Economic Affairs, National Health Insurance Fund, Belgrade, Serbia, j.brcanski@gmail.com.
authors: Jelena
authors: J
authors: Brcanski
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Jović-Vraneš
authors: Jelena
authors: J
authors: Marinković
authors: Dragana
authors: D
authors: Favre
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D006178:Romani People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data