ĐÁNH GIÁ TÌNH TRẠNG DINH DƯỠNG CỦA TRẺ, TÌM HIỂU KIẾN THỨC CỦA NGƯỜI GIÁM HỘ TRẺ DƯỚI 5 TUỔI TẠI PHÒNG TIÊM CHỦNG, BỆNH VIỆN BỆNH NHIỆT ĐỚI TRUNG ƯƠNG NĂM 2023 - 2024

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the nutritional status and knowledge of caregivers of children under five years
old at the vaccination clinic of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases from 2023 to 2024.
Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study involved 82 children aged 0 - 60 months and 61 caregivers who accompanied them for vaccination at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases during 2022 - 2023.

Results: Among the children, 61.6% were aged 0 - 24 months, and 53.7% were male. The majority were from the Kinh ethnic group (91.5%) and lived in rural areas (74.5%). The average weight was 9.26 ± 0.34 kg, and the average height was 73.8 ± 1.31 cm. The prevalence of underweight was 11%, stunting was 18.3%, and wasting was 3.7%, with higher malnutrition rates observed in boys than girls. Regarding caregiver knowledge, 86.9% accurately identified food sources of animal protein, 82% identified sources of fats, 90.2% recognized carbohydrate sources, and 96.7% were knowledgeable about vitamin and mineral
sources. Additionally, 75.4% of caregivers knew the appropriate timing for weaning, and 93.4% were aware
of when to introduce complementary feeding. However, fewer caregivers were knowledgeable about the recommended number of meals for children according to age. Moreover, 72.1% of caregivers understood that children under one year should not consume salt.
Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition among children attending the vaccination clinic at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases remains relatively high. Although caregivers demonstrated substantial knowledge of basic nutrition, their understanding of complementary feeding practices was limited.