Dual Burden of Malnutrition among Primary School Children in Myanmar

Background: The distribution of childhood nutritional diseases is shifting from a predominance of under nutrition to a dual burden of under-and over nutrition in low and middle income countries. Rapid economic development and urbanization lead to an increase in overweight and obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. The co-existence of under-and over nutrition is double burden and this is a public health challenge for community. Objective: To find out the nutritional status of primary school children. Method: The study was school based descriptive study and conducted during November 2014 to February 2015 in basic primary schools, basic middle schools and basic high schools in urban and rural area of Yangon, Mandalay, Taungyi and Mawlamyaing. A total of (2937) Grade IV and Grade V students were measured for weight, height and 592 students were measured for haemoglobin by standard equipment and standard procedure. Results: The overall prevalences of stunting, wasting, overweight, obesity and anaemia were 8.8%, 15%, 4.6% and 3.1% and 36.1% respectively. The prevalences of stunting, over weight and obesity were more prevalent in boys and wasting and anaemia were more prevalent in girls. The result showed that the stunting was more prevalent in rural than in urban (7.5% in urban and 12.0% in rural). The prevalences of overweight and obesity were higher in urban than rural area (overweight 5.3% in urban and 2.8% in rural, obesity 3.8% in urban and 0.9% in rural). Children residing in urban area had higher anthropometric parameter than rural children. Conclusion: The present study observed the coexistence of obesity, overweight and undernourishment (wasting and stunting) among Myanmar School children.The findings highlighted the need for continued health promotion efforts to improve nutritional status of primary school children.

Salt Consumption Patterns and Iodine Nutrition Status of Pregnant Women in Coastal Region

Background: Maternal Iodine Deficiency Disorder can result in inevitable cretinism as well as miscarriages, stillbirth and low birth-weight babies. Objective: There is a need to find out contributing factors towards urinary iodine concentrations of pregnant women. Methods: Therefore, the cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted to assess the patterns of salt utilization and iodine status of pregnant women living in coastal areas of Mon State in January and May, 2013. Result: A total of 144 pregnant women from Pa-Nga village and Kalokepi village in Thanbyuzayat township were asked by using structured questionnaires including age, parity, socioeconomic status and patterns of salt and iodine-rich foods (seaweed, fish, prawn) consumption. Casual urine samples were collected from each pregnant woman and urinary iodine concentrations were measured. Three samples each of the iodized salt and non-iodized salt from local markets were collected for determination of iodine content by the iodometric titration method. Only 83.3% of the study population consumed iodized salt and the remaining (16.7%) consumed non-iodized salt. The median urinary iodine concentration of the study population was 105 μg/L. The mean urinary iodine level of pregnant women who consumed iodized salt and that of pregnant women who consumed non-iodizes salt were 110.47 ± 67.34 μg/L and 95.83 ± 70.13 μg/L (P = 0.336). Iodine content of the iodized salt and non-iodized salt was 20.6 ± 9.2 ppm and 5.1 ± 1.2 ppm respectively. In conclusion, the median iodine level of pregnant women was lower than that of the optimal iodine nutrition for pregnant women, i.e., 150 - 250 μg/L and the mean iodine content of salt samples was lower than the permissible level of iodine in iodized salt, i.e., 30 - 40 ppm. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that iodine nutritional status of pregnant women in this area is insufficient and salt iodization needs to be monitored for the optimal iodine content in iodized salt.