Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2001-2002 - Measure DHS

Table 11.12 indicates that children whose biological mothers were not present in the household atthe time of the interview are more likely to be malnourished than children whose mothers wereinterviewed—49 percent stunted, 5 percent wasted, and 29 percent underweight. The small number ofchildren whose mothers were available but not interviewed have the lowest levels of stunting, wasting,and underweight—41 percent stunted, 3 percent wasted, and 23 percent underweight.11.5.2 Trends in Children’s Nutritional StatusPrevious ZDHS surveys collected anthropometric measurements only for children of interviewedwomen. An analysis of trends in these data show a decline in the nutritional status of children. Theproportion of children under five who are stunted has increased from 40 percent in 1992 to 42 percent in1996 and to 47 percent in 2001-2002. The proportion underweight has also risen, but less sharply, from25 percent in 1992 to 24 percent in 1996 and 28 percent in 2001-2002. However, the proportion ofchildren who are wasted has remained more or less steady, declining from 5 percent in 1992 to 4 percentin 1996 and rising again to 5 percent in 2001-2002. These trends in nutritional status imply that theproblem of malnutrition in Zambia is one of chronic food shortages.11.6 NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF WOMENThe 2001-2002 ZDHS collected information on height and weight of women. The data were usedto derive two measures of nutritional status, height and body mass index (BMI). A woman’s height maybe used to predict the risk of difficulty in delivery (given the relationship between height and the size ofthe pelvis). The risk of giving birth to a low birth weight baby is influenced by the mother’s nutritionalstatus. The cut-off point at which mothers can be considered at risk for height varies between populationsbut normally falls between 140 cm and 150 cm. The index used to measure thinness or obesity is knownas the body mass index (BMI), or the Quetelet index. Body mass index is defined as weight in kilogrammesdivided by height squared in metres (kg/m 2 ). A cut-off point of 18.5 is used to define thinness oracute undernutrition. A BMI of 25 or above usually indicates overweight or obesity.Table 11.13 shows the nutritional status of women in the reproductive ages 15-49. The meanheight of Zambian women is 158 cm, which is above the critical height of 145 cm. As expected, there is aslightly higher percentage of women with a height less than 145 cm in the age group 15-19. Fifteenpercent of women were found to be chronically malnourished (BMI less than 18.5), while 12 percent areoverweight. Variations between urban and rural women are marked. More women have a BMI less than18.5 in rural areas (18 percent) than in urban areas (11 percent). Overweight (BMI greater than 25) ishigher in urban areas (20 percent) than in rural areas (7 percent).Interpretation of trends in women’s nutritional status is complicated by the fact that in the 1992and the 1996 ZDHS all mothers of children under five were measured. In 2001-2002, the data refer to allwomen 15-49. However, an analysis of the nutritional status of women who gave birth in the five yearspreceding the survey (data not shown), indicates that there has been a deterioration in women’s nutritionalstatus, with the proportion having a BMI of less than 18.5 increasing from about 9-10 percent in priorsurveys to 15 percent in 2001-2002.Nutrition among Children and Women │ 183