Nutritional Status and Associated Risk Factors of Malnutrition Among Disabled Rohingya Refugee Children in Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh

Abstract

The prime aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status and associated factors for children with disability at Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya under Cox’sBazar district, Bangladesh . A community based cross sectional study was carried out in the study. A total of 115 person with disability children comprising 61 boys and 54 girls from Kutupalong and Balukhali camps participated in this study. A pre-prepared questionnaire was used to find out the association among various factors with nutritional status. The nutritional status of children with disability are presented through the two segments according to the age range. Nutritional status of under 5 years children are determined by Z-score of weight for age (undernutrition), height for age (stunting) and weight for height (wasting) and age range 6 to 15 years are determined by BMI. In this survey, 44.6% children were underweight, 64.3% children were stunted, and 31.4% children were wasted according to the age range 1-5 years. Based on BMI, according to the age group 6 to 12 years children, the prevalence of underweight found 5.7% and overweight found 5.7%. Age rage between 13 to 15 years children, the prevalence of underweight found 12.5% and overweight found 4.1% and also informed that undernutrition was significantly associated with child’s age group, sex, caregiver’s nutritional status, caregiver’s education, caregiver’s relation , type of disability , diarrhea, asthma, worm infestation and health status of children. Washington questionnaires was used to identified children with disability. A total of 11 types of disability were found out according to the person with disabilities right and protection Act 2013.