Global & Disaster Medicine

Egypt: One in five children are stunted or too short for their age

IPS News

WASTING                                                    STUNTING                                                     UNDERWEIGHT

Low weight for height                               Low height for age                                                 Low weight for age

 

In Egypt, despite the investment in the health sector, and a notable decline in child mortality, malnutrition rates remain high.


For young children under five years of age:
• Stunting remains a significant public health concern in Egypt, affecting 1 in 5 children

• Wasting has increased significantly since 2000, and the trend is significantly higher among girls

• Wasting and underweight stand at 8 and 6 percent, respectively

• The incidence of anemia is high, standing at 27 percent

Stunting is a measure of chronic malnutrition; it reflects inadequate nutrition over a long period, or effects of recurrent or chronic illnesses. The stunting rate of children under five is the percentage whose height-for-age is below minus 2 standard deviations (moderate and severe stunting) from the median heightfor-age.

Underweight reflects both acute and chronic malnutrition. The underweight rate for children under-five is the percentage of whose weight-for-age is below minus 2 standard deviations (moderate) and minus 3 standard deviations (underweight) from the median weightfor-age.

Wasting is a measure of current acute malnutrition, which may reflect acute food shortage or recent episodes of illness. The wasting rate is the percentage of children under-five whose weightfor-height is below minus 2 standard deviations (moderate) and minus 3 standard deviations (severe) from the median weight-for-height.

Overweight is defined as excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. The overweight rate among children under five is the percentage whose weight-forheight is above plus 2 standard deviations from the median weight-for-age. Among adolescents and adults, it is the percentage of individuals with a Body Mass Index equal or higher than 25.


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