Nutrition status of children under 3 years in four poor counties of Guizhou province

Objective To evaluate the nutrition status of children under 3 years old for improving the children's nutrition in poor area of Guizhou province.Methods Using proportion population sampling,1256 children under 3 years were selected and investigated with questionnaire in 2005.Height and weight were used as measurements of nutrition status.Results The prevalence of stunting,under weight and wasting were 29.9%,19.6%,and 9.0%.The prevalence rates of the abnormalities in the boys were different from that of in the girls.The prevalence of stunting at age of 18 to 24 months,underweight at age of 15 to 18 months,wasting in 12 to 15 months of age were 39.5%,26.8%,and 12.8%,respectively.The prevalence rates of under-nutrition in the minority children were different from that of the Han children,and there were differences in the prevalence rates between different counties.Conclusion The nutrition status of the children under 3 years in poor rural area should be improved by popularizing knowledge of scientific feeding,increasing the protein food.