Prevalence, determinants, intervention strategies and current gaps in addressing childhood malnutrition in Vietnam: a systematic review

Background Childhood malnutrition in all forms is a major public health issue worldwide. This review systematically examined the prevalence and determinants and identify the potential interventions and current gap in addressing malnutrition including undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) in Vietnamese children aged 0–18 years old. Methods Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were systematically searched through June 2022 to identify relevant articles published within the past 25 years. Study selection and data extraction were performed by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by the other two reviewers in accordance with PRISMA guideline. Risk of publication bias was assessed using American Dietetic Association Quality Criteria Checklist. Results Seventy-two studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Undernutrition has decreased over time but still 22.4%, 5.2% and 12.2% of children under 5 were stunted, wasted and underweight, respectively. Anaemia, iron, zinc, and vitamin D deficiencies were the more common forms of MNDs, the prevalence varied by age, region, and socioeconomic group. Population-based surveys reported that 11% and 48% of children aged 0–11 years old were iron and vitamin D deficient, respectively. Zinc deficiency affected almost one-quarter of the children and adolescents. Retinol deficiency was of less concern (< 20%). However, more evidence on MNDs prevalence is needed. Overweight and obesity is now on the rise, affecting one-third of school-aged children. The key determinants of undernutrition included living in rural areas, children with low birth weight, and poor socio-economic status, whereas living in urban and affluent areas, having an inactive lifestyle and being a boy were associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity. Nutrition specific intervention studies including supplementation and food fortification consistently showed improvements in anthropometric indices and micronutrient biomarkers. National nutrition-sensitive programmes also provided nutritional benefits for children’s growth and eating behaviours, but there is a lack of data on childhood obesity. Conclusion This finding highlights the need for effective double duty actions to simultaneously address different forms of childhood malnutrition in Vietnam. However, evidence on the potential intervention strategies, especially on MNDs and overnutrition are still limited to inform policy decision, thus future research is warranted..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:24

Enthalten in:

BMC public health - 24(2024), 1 vom: 04. Apr.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Mondon, Charlotte [VerfasserIn]
Tan, Pui Yee [VerfasserIn]
Chan, Chong Ling [VerfasserIn]
Tran, Thuy Nga [VerfasserIn]
Gong, Yun Yun [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext [kostenfrei]

BKL:

44.00

Themen:

Children and adolescents
Interventions
Micronutrient deficiencies
Overnutrition
Prevalence and determinants
Undernutrition
Vietnam

Anmerkungen:

© The Author(s) 2024

doi:

10.1186/s12889-024-18419-8

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

SPR055419097