Factors Affecting Nutritional Status of Infants Attending Primary Health Care Centers in Suez, Egypt

Background: Child malnutrition is one of the public health problems in Egypt. It might be affected by the political and economic transition occurring in Egypt and the Middle East. Objective(s): Assessment of the nutritional status and related factors among infants attending urban and rural primary health care (PHC) centers in Suez Governorate. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 333 mother-infant pairs attending vaccination sessions in PHC centers in Suez Governorate. Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire for assessment of socio-demographic characteristics, feeding and weaning. In addition, weight and length were measured. Whenever affordable, a blood sample for hemoglobin estimation was taken from above one-year infants. Results: Stunting was detected among 12.3% of infants, underweight among 12.9% and wasting among 9.3%. Infants with normal anthropometric measurements presented 77.2% of the sample. Being a female, with no history of sickness in the last two weeks were found to be predictors of normal nutritional status. Anemia was detected among 75.0% of examined infants (71.4% in urban and 78.2% in rural areas). Conclusion: Assessment of the nutritional status of infants attending vaccination sessions in urban and rural health centers in Suez Governorate revealed that 28.2% are suffering from one or more form of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). Three quarters of examined infants suffered from anemia. These high levels of malnutrition among infants attending PHC services represent missed opportunities to implement health promotion and preventive activities in association with vaccination sessions.