Determinants of Malnourishment Among Afghan Refugee Children Residing in Quetta: An Analysis
Keywords:
Malnourishment, Stunting, Wasting, ChildrenAbstract
Malnourishment is one of the leading causes of stunted growth among children that also impacts their immune system, thus leading to repeated infections and delayed recovery. Among developing countries, especially Pakistan, the health status of children presents a grim reality where nearly forty percent of children under the age of five are suffering from malnourishment. The country where the local population has this high percentage of malnourishment, their refugee population may be at higher risk of having children suffering from undernourishment. The present research project aims at identifying refugee children residing in the Quetta region having malnourishment and then classifying the nature of such malnourishment by also examining the underlying reasons. We selected 30 households and carried out our survey using a questionnaire, alongside measuring the weight and height of the children. Our results indicate that most of the children in our data are either suffering from stunting or wasting and the underlying reason lies in dietary choices such as inadequate use of dairy products. Alongside, the income of the head of the household remains one of the significant factors contributing to malnourishment.
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