Title: Nutritional Status and Micronutrient Deficiencies Among Children Under Five Collected at the National Institute of Nutrition, and Dietary Recommendations to Enhance Immune Resistance in Children
Authors: Phan Bich Ngaš, Hoang Thi Hangš, Pham Quynh Chi
Volume: 10
Issue: 9
Pages: 97-107
Publication Date: 2026/09/28
Abstract:
Undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency remain interlocking determinants of impaired immune resistance in Vietnamese children. This cross-sectional study described the nutritional status, nutrition-related morbidity, dietary intake and maternal feeding practice of 960 children aged 0-59 months attending a first nutrition consultation at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi, in 2023, and used the deficits identified to derive a structured set of dietary recommendations aimed at strengthening immune resistance. Children were recruited into five equal age strata. Anthropometry was converted to Z-scores using the WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards; diagnoses followed Ministry of Health and IMCI criteria; dietary intake was assessed by 24-hour recall and a food frequency questionnaire; and maternal knowledge and practice were assessed by structured interview. Haemoglobin and serum iron were measured in 256 children. Underweight, stunting and wasting affected 29.8%, 30.0% and 14.3% of children respectively, whereas only 1.8% were overweight or obese; a further third to two-fifths were at risk on each index, and the burden peaked at 36-47 months, where 41.9% were stunted. Stunted children were 1.87 times as likely to be anaemic and 1.6 times as likely to be iron deficient as their non-stunted peers. Anorexia syndrome (50.5%), risk of malnutrition (41.3%) and established malnutrition (32.1%) were the commonest diagnoses, while respiratory infection within the preceding two weeks affected 36.6% of children and rickets 10.2%. Energy intake met the recommended allowance in only 53.2% of children, 52.3% consumed lard less than monthly, and only one mother of 960 identified the need to add fat to complementary meals. Timely initiation of breastfeeding was achieved by 24.4%. A ten-domain, evidence-linked dietary package is proposed.