Open AccessNutritional status of Libyan children in 2000 compared with 1979
Author(s) -
J Hameida,
Laurent Billot
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/2002.8.2-3.261
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , breastfeeding , medicine , environmental health , cluster sampling , anthropometry , demography , cross sectional study , pediatrics , population , sociology , pathology
This cross-sectional study examined the growth and nutritional status of Libyan preschool children and the socioeconomic status of their parents in 2000 and compared the results with those of a similar study conducted in 1979. The investigation involved 1614 healthy children of both sexes under 5 years of age in two regions of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Simple random sampling and cluster sampling techniques were used to enlist participants. Body weight, height, and head and arm circumference of the children were recorded and mothers were interviewed about their child’s health and the socioeconomic status of the family. Significant improvements in nutritional status since 1979 were found that could be attributable to factors such as socioeconomic development, longer breastfeeding, greater availability of high energy foods, supplementation with semi-solid or solid foods and heavy government subsidy of basic foods.