Protein Energy Malnutrition Among Children < 5 Years Of Age At Mandella Displaced Camp

Abstract

This study was conducted at Mandella camp for displaced people in Khartoum state. 403 children were randomly selected from 315 families during the period from 5-1-2004 to 15-2- 2004, using the equation : n = Z2 . S2 d2 where Z is standard normal variable corresponding to a level of significance of 95%, S is the standard deviation (S ~ 3.54), d is a marginal error estimated as (d ~ 0.3919) Data analysis was conducted using personal computer (PC), and the statistical association between the different variables was checked using X2- Test in the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program. The study provided many essential results from which Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) was found to be very high in the area among children below five years of age and it was attributed to the lack the awareness of the mothers about malnutrition and also to the large family sizes which is dominant in the study area. The study also revealed many factors that were having a role in high prevalence of PEM either directly or indirectly, these include: insanitary environmental conditions, inadequate water supply, poor personal hygiene of the mothers; and insufficient health services. As a result, there were many unhealthy practices in using of bottle-feeding, delay in starting breast-feeding; early or too late introduction of complementary foods, and wrong food habits and beliefs.