Ethnic Variations in Nutritional Status among Preschool Children in Northern Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

(1) Background: Vietnam is a multiethnic country undergoing rapid economic development, the improvement in nutritional status in preschool children is not equally shared by all ethnic groups; (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from September–December 2018 on 16,177 children aged 24–60 months representing Kinh (n = 14421), Muong (n = 1307) and Tay (n = 449) ethnic groups. Prevalence of malnutrition, overweight, obesity and anthropometric indices were compared across ethnic groups, using WHO 2006 child growth standards; (3) Results: The prevalence of malnutrition among children of Kinh, Muong and Tay origins was 14.7%, 34.3% and 43.2%, respectively. The corresponding data for overweight was 5.5%, 2.7%, 2.2% and for obesity 2.8%, 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting remained the highest in three subtypes of malnutrition in all ethnic groups. Kinh children were heavier and taller than the other groups, while Muong children were taller than Tay children (p-value < 0.001); and (4) Conclusions: Malnutrition remains a major public health issue among children of minor ethnicities while overweight and obesity is an emerging challenge for the Kinh ethnic group. The results imply that a community-based intervention should be specific to ethnicity to reduce the gap in nutritional status between ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Double burden of malnutrition in ethnic minority school-aged children living in mountainous areas of Vietnam and its association with nutritional behavior

“…In addition, the prevalence of overweight/obese children in the present study was also similar to the result of the National Nutrition Survey 2019–2020, indicating that over-nutrition among those living in mountainous areas was 6.9% [ 18 ]. A comparison with another study conducted among 24 to 60-mon-old children in the mountainous areas of Vietnam (2019) showed that the proportion of those showing stunted growth in the present study was much lower (29% to 43.9% in different ethnics), while the figure for overweight/obesity was significantly higher (0% to 2.3% in different ethnics) [ 20 ]. The prevalence of stunting and thinness among children in the present study was higher than that of the previous study conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which reported that 3.8% and 4.6% of secondary school children showed stunted growth and were thin, respectively [ 9 ].…”

The association between rs4994 polymorphism of the Beta3-Adrenergic Receptor with obesity in Vietnamese preschool-age children, independently of eating behaviors

“…Vietnam is facing a situation of the double burden of malnutrition [6,7]. Results from a longitudinal study including 2,602 children from a cohort with an initial age of 3-6 years old showed that there was an increase in overweight and obese children between 2013 and 2016 [6].…”

“…Results from a longitudinal study including 2,602 children from a cohort with an initial age of 3-6 years old showed that there was an increase in overweight and obese children between 2013 and 2016 [6]. A cross-sectional study was performed in 2018 on representing Kinh (n = 14421), Muong (n = 1307) and Tay (n = 449) ethnic groups had showed that malnutrition remains a major public health issue among children of minor ethnicities while overweight and obesity is an emerging challenge for the Kinh ethnic group [7].…”

Home-Grown School Feeding: Implementation Lessons From a Pilot in a Poor Ethnic Minority Community in Vietnam

“…35 Their undernutrition is exacerbated by a complex mix of agro-ecological, socio-economic, and cultural factors. 34 , 36 , 37 Children under five years of age are particularly vulnerable, having high rates of stunting (31.4%) and underweight (21%) compared to ethnic majority Kinh children (15% stunted, 8.5% underweight), 34 , 38 clearly showing the social and economic relevance of undernutrition.…”