학술논문
The prevalence of undernutrition upon hospitalization in children in a developing country: A single hospital study from Malaysia
Document Type
article
Author
Source
Pediatrics and Neonatology, Vol 58, Iss 5, Pp 415-420 (2017)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1875-9572
Abstract
Undernourished children who require hospital care have a longer duration of hospitalization and respond poorly to modern medical therapy. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the nutritional status of children admitted to a pediatric tertiary center in Malaysia and the risk factors leading to undernutrition upon admission. Methods: In this cross-sectional, hospital-based study, anthropometric measurements [weight, length/height, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness were performed in 285 children aged from 3 months to 15 years who were admitted to University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur in November 2013. Acute (wasting) and chronic (stunting) undernutrition were defined as weight-for-height (WFH) and height-for-age (HFA) < −2 standard deviation (S.D.), respectively. Underweight was defined as weight-for-age < −2 S.D. For children aged between 1 and 5 years of age, World Health Organization definition for acute undernutrition (HFA