Document Type
Article
Department
Paediatrics and Child Health (East Africa)
Abstract
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition among children admitted with acute diarrhoea disease at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and to establish the effect of malnutrition on duration of hospital stay.
Design: Prospective observational study.
Setting: Paediatric wards of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya
Subjects: A total of 191 children aged 6 and 59 months admitted with acute diarrhoea disease, without chronic co-morbidities or visible severe malnutrition, were systematically enrolled into the study between November 2011 and March 2012.
Outcome Measures: Nutritional status based on WHO WHZ scores taken at admission and duration of hospital stay.
Results:The mean age was 13.2 months with a male to female sex ratio of 1.16:1. Of all the children seen with acute diarrhoeal diseases, 43.9% had acute malnutrition (
Conclusion: Routine anthrometry including weight for height identifies more children with malnutrition in acute diarrhoeal diseases. Presence of malnutrition did not affect duration of hospital stay.
Publication (Name of Journal)
East African Medical Journal
Recommended Citation
Marete, I.,
Simba, J.,
Gisore, P.,
Tenge, C.,
Bosire, D.,
Mwangi, A.,
Esamai, F.
(2013). Nutritional status of children admitted for diarrhoeal diseases in a referral hospital in western Kenya. East African Medical Journal, 90(7), 222-225.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_fhs_mc_paediatr_child_health/99
Comments
This work was published before the author joined Aga Khan University.