Prevalence of malnutrition among preschool children in St. Petersburg

Abstract

Relevance. Malnutrition, which contributes to abnormalities in the growth and development of children, remains a pressing problem throughout the world. Malnutrition can manifest itself in both an acute form (underweight) and a chronic form (longitudinal growth retardation). Monitoring deviations in the physical development of children of early and preschool age makes it possible to timely identify negative trends and develop regional programs.

The aim of study: to determine the frequency of malnutrition among pupils of preparatory groups of preschool educational institutions in St. Petersburg.

Material and methods. A survey of 857 children (412 boys and 445 girls) was carried out. The standards “WHO Growth Reference 2007” was used for assessment of the correspondence of longitudinal growth to age and the ratio of weight and body length of children. Low growth was recorded when the child’s body length was less than “–” 2.1SD; exhaustion – when the body mass index is below the 5th percentile according to the age-sex scale of WHO standards.

Results. In the general cohort of examined preschoolers, low longitudinal growth was determined in 1.2% of children. There were more children with short stature in the group of boys (1.5%) than among girls (1.0%). There were 3.6% of children with body mass index values below the 5th percentile; among boys it is more 3.8% than among girls 3.4%.

Conclusion. We have identified a group of children with somatometric markers of malnutrition, who were recommended for in-depth research in specialized medical institutions.