ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND PREVALENCE OF WASTING, STUNTING AND UNDERWEIGHT OF FORCIBLY DISPLACED ROHINGYA CHILDREN 6-59 MONTHS OF AGE LIVING MAKESHIFT CAMP, COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Nutritional scenario is fragile state of forcibly displaced Rohingya children who live in makeshift camps in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional status and determine the risk group and identifying underlying cause of malnutrition for children who live in makeshift camps in Ukhiya under Cox’sBazar district, Bangladesh. A total of 431 children under five years (6-59 months) comprising, 202 were male and 229 were female from Camp 4, which is a makeshift camp. A pre-prepared questionnaire was used to assess the nutritional status and evaluate the association between various factors and nutritional status. The children were measured for MUAC, Height, and weight and determined the Weight for Height Z-score(WAZ), Height for age Z-score(HAZ), and Weight for Age Z-score(WAZ). Parents of the children were interviewed for the socio-demographic, water sanitation and hygiene, and health-seeking behaviour information. The result found that 15.3% of children were wasted where 4.6% were severely wasted, and 10.7% were moderately wasted. Again 32% of children were stunted, where 8.1% were severely stunted, and 23.9% were moderately stunted. Moreover, 29.9% of children were underweight, where 6.7%were severely underweight, and 23.2% were moderately underweight. This study also found that the prevalence of malnutrition among boys (18.9% wasted, 34.1% stunted,33.3% underweight) is higher than among girls (12.3% wasted, 30.2%, stunted, 26.7% underweight) and the prevalence of malnutrition among the group 6-23 months is higher (16% wasted, 35.1% stunted, 30.9% underweight) than the girls (13.8% wasted, 25.5% stunted, 27.7% underweight). Age of the respondent child is positively associated (p<0.05) with both acute malnutrition and chronic malnutrition. The children with proper access to water sanitation hygiene were better in nutritional status than those with a facility average, again the children who has and a medical complication (IMCI danger sign last two weeks recall) was found positively associated (p<0.05) with acute malnutrition. Therefore nutrition-specific interventions need to increase to reduce malnutrition, and appropriate WASH facilities need to boost the nutritional status of Forcibly Displaced Rohingya children.