Nutrient Intake and Anthropometric Status of Preschoolers in Upland and Coastal Regions of Rivers State

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the nutrient intakes and anthropometric indices of preschool children (2–5-year-olds), in upland and coastal regions of Rivers state. A cross-sectional survey and quasi-experimental designs were used for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 410 pre-school children from all the eight local government areas in the zone. Subsample of 41 respondents (10% of the sample size) was taken for weighed food intake study, which was conducted on two-week days, and one weekend day and the mean nutrient intakes calculated and compared with recommended nutrient intake (RNI). The anthropometric measurements were analysed using WHO Anthro software. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, Version 25.0) software was used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviation were used to present the findings.  The prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight in the study area was found to be 12%, 15% and 8.1%, respectively.  The mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) showed a 15.3% prevalence of moderate acute malnutrition. More boys were stunted than girls (17.2% and 12.9%, respectively), more girls were wasted than boys (17.5% and 10.2%) and almost an equal percentage of underweight between boys and girls (9.5% and 10.6%, respectively). Most foods contributed more than 100% to the recommended nutrient intake as stipulated by FAO/WHO, except for folate which was low across all age groups and calcium which was 62% among children between the ages of 37-48 months. Prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight was high, despite the good nutrition profile of the foods consumed by the respondents.