Peer-reviewed article
Demographic variation and socioeconomic inequalities in all forms of malnutrition among children aged 6 months to 9 years: findings from the Vietnamese General Nutrition Survey 2020.
Pui Yee Tan, Somphos Vicheth Som, Son Duy Nguyen, Xiaomian Tan, Do Tranh Tran et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analysed data from 7,289 Vietnamese children aged 6 months to 9 years to measure the prevalence of undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. The findings show that stunting, underweight, and low zinc levels are common, affecting over 10% of children in some cases. Significant inequalities were found by age, ethnicity, geography, and wealth, with ethnic minorities and children in mountainous areas at higher risk, while children from the richest families had lower malnutrition rates. Children with multiple micronutrient deficiencies had higher rates of stunting and underweight.
Key points
- 12.7% of children were stunted, 10.5% underweight, 7.3% overweight, and 7.1% obese
- Low serum zinc, anaemia, and iron deficiency affected 53.1%, 15.2%, and 13.9% of children respectively
- Ethnic minorities had 5.94 times higher odds of stunting compared to other groups
- Children from the richest wealth quintile had 87% lower odds of stunting
- Children with three or more micronutrient deficiencies had almost double the odds of stunting and underweight
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional survey describing prevalence and associations at one point in time, so it cannot establish causation or track how malnutrition changes over time. The document does not evaluate any intervention or provide recommendations for specific programs.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is a global public health challenge. This study examined the prevalence of population-level DBM, its demographic and socioeconomic determinants as well as the associations between anthropometric indicators of undernutrition and overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs), among Vietnamese children, using the data from the nationally representative General Nutrition Survey 2020. METHODS: Data on anthropometric parameters, micronutrient biomarkers, demographic and socioeconomic indicators for 7289 children aged 6 months to 9 years were analysed. Determinants of malnutrition were assessed using logistic regressions, reported as OR with 95% CIs. RESULTS: At national level, 12.7%, 10.5% and 4.7% of children were stunted, underweight and wasted/thin, while 7.3% and 7.1% were overweight and obese, respectively. Low serum zinc, anaemia and iron deficiency were the common MNDs observed, affecting 53.1%, 15.2% and 13.9% of the study participants. Older children aged 2-4 years (OR (95% CI) 1.43 (1.20, 1.72)), ethnic minorities (5.94 (3.78, 9.36)) and those living in mountainous areas (5.06 (1.18, 14.42)) had increased odds of stunting, whereas reduced odds were found in children from the richest quintile (0.13 (0.05, 0.32)). Similar determinants were associated with underweight and MNDs. Males (1.43 (1.16, 1.76)), children aged 5-9 years (10.02 (6.71, 14.97) and children from the richest quintile (2.91 (1.20, 7.05)) had increased odds of overweight. Children with anaemia, low serum retinol and low serum zinc had increased odds of stunting and underweight than non-micronutrient-deficient children (adjusted OR=1.43-1.71). Compared with children without MNDs, those with ≥3 MNDs had almost double the odds of stunting and underweight, whereas those with ≤3 MNDs had reduced odds of overweight (adjusted OR=0.38-0.60). CONCLUSIONS: Significant demographic variation and socioeconomic inequalities in child malnutrition were identified. National policies and programmes in Vietnam should address age-specific, sex-specific, geographical and socioeconomic disparities to accelerate progress in reducing child malnutrition.