Nutritional status following malaria control in a Vietnamese ethnic minority commune

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 59; no. 8; pp. 891 - 899
• Main Authors: Hung, L.Q, Vries, P.J. de, Giao, P.T, Binh, T.Q, Nam, N.V, Chong, M.T, Kager, P.A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 01.08.2005; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Active control; Adolescent; Adult; Age; anthropometric measurements; Biological and medical sciences; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Body measurements; Body Weight; boys; Child; child growth; child nutrition; Child Nutrition Disorders - epidemiology; Child Nutrition Disorders - etiology; Children; Chronology; compensatory growth; disease control; Ethnic Groups; Female; Food intake; Girls; growth retardation; Health Surveys; height; human diseases; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Indication; Infectious diseases; Inhabitants; Malaria; Malaria - physiopathology; Malaria - prevention & control; Male; Malnutrition; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; minorities; Minority & ethnic groups; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Polls & surveys; Protozoal diseases; surveys; Vector-borne diseases; Vietnam; wasting syndrome; Vietnam; Asia; wasting; Protozoal disease; Nutrition; Malaria; Anthropometry; Parasitosis; stunting; Ethnic group; Growth retardation; Infection; Body mass index; Regulation(control); Vietnam; Minority; Vietnamese; Nutritional status; BMI
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602156

Objective: To study whether control of malaria leads to catch-up growth or an increase of obesity in a marginally nourished population. Setting: A Vietnamese ethnic minority commune in southern Vietnam. Design: Repeated annual anthropometric surveys were performed from 1995 to 2000. Z-scores for height, weight and BMI for age and weight-for-height were determined by using NCHS 1978 and CDC 2000 reference tables and by the LMS method. Intervention: Active malaria control that reduced the parasite carrier rate from 50% in 1994 to practically nil in 1998. Results: Inhabitants were generally of short stature and very thin. Using the US reference tables, the prevalence of moderate/severe stunting among children was 53/24% and of wasting 27/9% in the first survey in 1995. Physical condition and normal daily activities of most inhabitants were normal. The repeated LMS-Z-scores uncovered a significant recovery of stunting, extending into preadolescence, including the development of a pubertal growth spurt for girls and enhancement of pubertal growth in boys, after control of malaria. The mean (95% CI) annual increase of Z-height-for-age was 0.11 (0.09-0.12) for boys and 0.14 (0.13-0.15) for girls (P<0.001). As a consequence, weight-for-age and BMI Z-scores decreased without indication of developing obesity. Conclusion: Catch-up growth, extending into preadolescent age, was observed in a Vietnamese ethnic minority population with a chronic state of low food intake, without indication of developing obesity. The control of malaria was probably the most significant contribution to this catch-up growth.