21. 'Abdelnour, S. Study on Nutritional Status of a Selected Sample of Under-Five Palestinian Children. Jerusalem: UPMRC, 1991: 51 pp.

The study was aimed at assessing the nutritional status of Palestinian children under the age of five years and at investigating some of the factors that influence the nutritional status of children. Another aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of utilizing volunteer human resources for the process of data collection.

- Seven-hundred and twenty children were surveyed. The nutritional status of these children was assessed using the McLaren and Read chart.

- Children coming from families with more than six members comprised 87.1% of the sample. 7.2% of the surveyed children lived in households which lacked latrines. Of the surveyed children 68.5% were delivered in hospitals, 96.4% were reported to have completed their vaccinations and 25.3% had a diarrheal episode within one week prior to the survey. The lowest incidence of diarrhea was in the refugee camps. Seasonal fluctuations, the level of crowdedness and the presence of latrines in households had significant effects on the prevalence rate of diarrhea.

Children with mild to severe malnutrition comprised 35.9% of the sample. The malnutrition rate among females was significantly higher than that among males. Children at the weaning age had a higher prevalence rate of malnutrition than other children in the sample. Diarrheal episodes were more common among malnourished children. Children who were fed solely on breast milk had a lower incidence of diarrhea than those who were fed solely on powdered milk.

Twenty-five percent of the assessed children had a hemoglobin level of less than 11 mg% and the hemoglobin level was lowest among children aged 6-23 months. Children who were fed solely on breast milk had the lowest incidence of anemia.

It is recommended that assessments other than McLaren and Read be used to give a more thorough picture of the nutritional status of Palestinian children.